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Reader Comments:

"After I got into Wake Up Barbara!, I couldn't put it down. Barbara's willingness to be vulnerable in this book is one of its real strengths; it's real, because she is. It was pure delight to watch her grow as I read. I am sure that other women will personally identify with Barbara as I did. She tells it like it is – without a trace of piety. Great book!" --Peggy Campolo, St. Davids, PA

"I liked "Wake Up Barbara!" very much. First of all, I know some of the main characters, and have a great deal of respect for them, and know that their characterization in the book is honest. Second, the book is obviously real. It has an authenticity that cannot be faked. Third, it is vibrant with immediacy. Every page captures and holds the reader in that time and place. Finally, I liked it because it's a good story well told. Those are the qualities I look for in a book, and I'm glad I read this one." --The Rev. Dr. Paul W. Harmon, Spartanburg SC

"Barbara Watson's memoir of her experiences in the Dominican Republic is engaging, funny, sad and frightening. Whether you think of yourself as adventurous or prefer to play it safe; whether you are looking for romance, wisdom, or just fun; whether your personal beliefs are religious or secular in nature, you will find a story and a heroine here to whom you can relate, and with whom you will want to spend your time. Barbara's coming-of-age story is both incredibly unique and wonderfully universal. Rarely has a mature and intelligent author so accurately captured the insecurity and foolishness of the youthful mind--particularly her own." --Amy Kay Watson, Operations Coordinator, Ohio Dominican University, Columbus OH

"I predict that everyone who reads Wake Up Barbara! will appreciate and enjoy sharing the journey of a newly-wed young woman who embarks on high risk adventure with a most unconventional young husband. Barbara possesses uncompromising candor and willingness to take personal risks in her relationships. Her honesty in dealing with her emotions and doubts concerning her work, her worth, her marriage and even her faith reveal a strength of character that will be an inspiration to many readers who may not have had the same ability to question the unquestionable." --Randy Conway, senior consultant, Multivariable Testing, Campobello, SC

"This book offers us a first-hand look at the lives of a young missionary couple while their experiences show a collage of contrasts: courage & timidity, enthusiasm & reluctance, and expectation & frustration. The author's honesty only increases one's appreciation toward those willing to serve people who are needy." --Malcolm Huston, retired school teacher, Vestal, NY

"Barbara candidly relates the drama of her unlikely romance, her sometimes faltering journey of faith, her fearful bridging between her family and her in-laws, her passionate commitment to Ralph, and the mission they shared in the Dominican Republic. A market for the book is Christian college students, campus ministry groups, and the thousands involved as volunteers in mission. It could also be used as a resource for Sunday school classes. --Rev. A. Mickey Fisher, retired pastor, South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church

"The missionaries supported by my church had no knowledge of what the mission field entailed before heading into it. Some only visit the foreign country two weeks while on deputation and in two weeks, they do not get much real knowledge of what being a missionary really entails. Wake Up Barbara! would give them a taste of what it is like when "the rubber hits the road." It is not only realistic, but gives a spiritual background as to how to handle difficult situations. Wake Up Barbara! would give a prospective missionary a more realistic knowledge of what they are to prepare for in going into the mission field. --Irvin Prickett, retired accountant, Frederick, MD

"This delightful book is a refreshing look at real missionary work viewed by a couple who served with devotion and commitment, but who also kept their eyes open to reality. The book is worth the price, plus the reader's time, to meet dear, wacky Ralph." --Nora Beth Featherston, Spartanburg, SC

"I recommend this book as required reading to anyone who needs to learn some of the realities of living in the Third World. Americans expecting to spend time in a foreign country will appreciate this detailed account. There is no "rose garden" here. Culture shock comes through clearly in a clever and amusing way. We find the native contacts warm and touching. The author helps us to understand the austere Dominican perspective. This book will be hard to forget. --Robert Watson, retired computer consultant, Asheboro, NC

"Wake Up Barbara! has a message of more than just a "missionary's memoirs." Barbara's and Sue's correspondence of single versus married life apply to many people. Also the underlying theme of being adaptable where God plants us applies to us all. We don't know how truly blessed we are sometimes." --Cinde Phillips, technical writer, Boiling Springs, SC

"Wake Up Barbara! shows how God can help us grow mentally and spiritually if we submit ourselves to His will – even when it seems contrary to what we feel is best. --Winifred Davidson, retired school teacher, Philadelphia, PA

"Wake Up Barbara! is about going to lost corners of the world, and it is also about discovering that to go away, no matter how far, is inevitably a journey into oneself. It confirms that living at ease with truths is not always a graceful process. The story has returned to me many times after reading it, not in exact terms, but as lessons of the hard travel of a soul through our modern world." --Dr. Judy, Spartanburg, SC

"I found this book interesting, not only for its missionary experiences, but as an honest record of the life and growth of an ordinary person. I was impressed that Barbara was willing to reveal her struggles as she strove to cope and mature in what was for her a challenging situation." --Susan Browder, R.N., Louisville, KY

"Engrossed in a time and place, I was full of admiration for Barbara dealing with cataloguing boxes of donated eyeglasses, and Ralph solving one huge problem after another to make things work; all the while working to plant churches in that difficult tropical place. This is a valuable read for anyone, and especially for one who takes seriously a call to mission involvement." --Pat Young, retired editor, Dublin, OH