A Thousand Flying Things

Better a bird in the hand than a thousand flying things.

—Sudanese proverb

Award-winning author Kathryn Brown Ramsperger's newest novel is an engaging story set between two continents divided by an ocean and cultural differences. American humanitarian worker Dianna's tale is one of determination, empathy, resilience, friendship, forgiveness, healing, and empowerment. It's 1991 and Dianna is in Southern Sudan at a camp teaching displaced children reading. Religious, civil and tribal wars permeate the land surrounding her. She finds the scarcity of food and survival a real-world problem for this country.

Often Dianna finds her efforts thwarted by societal norms, cultural differences, and government and military bureaucracy. Her suspicions mount as time passes realizing she has possibly become a ruse for international funding with the camp being a front for a tribal warlord training children to be soldiers. Dianna finds her heart stolen by five-year-old Khalil. She strategizes how to save him and the other children. A life-threatening bout of cerebral malaria sidetracks her work when she is sent to a hospital in Kenya for treatment. A chance encounter with a former love interest Qasim, an Arab Muslim, and UN official becomes a turning point in Dianna's life. She discovers buried secrets that have kept them apart and what it means to heal and forgive. Dianna begins to contemplate a future with him while creating a vision of change for herself.

While Ramsperger's novel is a love story between two people trying to figure out how to overcome differences and heal past wounds readers soon learn there's much more to Dianna's story. Ramsperger writes from a global perspective based on past work experiences with Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, both global humanitarian networks. These experiences add authenticity to her writing as well as adding a well-researched setting. Dianna's narrative shows her resilience in the face of adversity building her character strength. The author's use of tension-building raises the stakes again and again strengthening the storyline. I highly recommend reading this book. Not only does it raise humanitarian awareness, it's a powerful soul-searching story that will keep your interest right down to the last page.

All About The Author  

Kathryn Brown Ramsperger

She graduated Phi Beta Kappa in English from Hollins University in Virginia, and earned her graduate degree in Publications Management from George Washington University. She’s lived and worked in Europe and Africa, traveling throughout the Middle East. Her most recent short story, “A Green Rose,” was published by and received an award of excellence from the journal Willow Review, and her debut book "The Shores of Our Souls" was a semi-finalist in the Faulkner-Wisdom Literary Competition. All of her writing focuses on the search for peace and the connections we all share.

https://kathrynbrownramsperger.com/