The Man in the Green Jeep Author:  Viola Palmer

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The Man in the Green Jeep beckons children and adults alike to the small village of Reitoca, in Honduras. The dark forces of hunger, despair, and distrust attempt to take hold when a heavy storm destroys the village’s primary food supply. Chico, a boy not yet in his teens, is sent to do a man’s job when the family’s beans, rice and corn are finally gone. While the rest of the village suffers from famine, Chico alone is sent over the mountain to seek aid from Porvenir, a village on the far side.

Once in Porvenir, Chico’s message of despair is traded for a message of hope -one Chico has never heard before. Word of Reitoca’s urgent need quickly spreads throughout the community. Chico is sent back over the mountain with the promise that help will arrive. "You will know because it will be a man in a green jeep".

Viola Palmer’s story of hope has the potential to raise up world changers from the youngest of ages. With vivid descriptions of daily life in a less fortunate culture, The Man in the Green Jeep stands in stark contrast to our comfortable individualistic society. Through personal experiences as missionaries, the Mrs. Palmer and her husband, The Man in the Green Jeep, are in a unique position to open doors to a new generation of servant-minded missionaries through leading by example.

Given a good editor, Mrs. Palmer has the potential to write well. She also has the potential to write stories that will continue to enrich and motivate the Good Samaritan in each of us. The writing in The Man in the Green Jeep is rough and at times inconsistent. Transitions between first person point-of-view and third person narrative are abrupt, causing the reader to stumble, especially if reading aloud. The target audience fluctuates throughout the book where sentence structure and vocabulary choices shift comprehension levels. The question comes to mind, did Mrs. Palmer write The Man in the Green Jeep as a work of fiction based on personal experience, or as a work of non-fiction embellished to create ambience?

For further enrichment, a chapter by chapter study guide, along with project ideas, and a list of Spanish words found throughout the book are included by Pam Day. The questions and their ensuing answers encourage a better understanding of the book’s purpose. The Man in the Green Jeep shows us that there are still those who have never heard the name Jesus and how His love has the power to change the human heart and spirit of every nation.

 

Review contributed by: Mrs. Chantelle Andrews. She attends Open Door Ministries in Joshua, Texas, where she volunteers alongside her teenage daughter serving the hungry of Johnson County.