Worth It All

The success of such television shows as Touched by an Angel, 7th Heaven, and Joan of Arcadia--not to mention the huge boxoffice success of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ--offers ample proof that there is a large audience out there who welcome religious-themed programs. Inspirational without being maudlin, filmmaker Brad Ayres' documentary Worth It All tells the true story of Baptist missionary Roni Bowers and her family, who worked in Peru to spread the word of God to indigenous peoples living in remote corners of the country. The tragedy that befell Bowers on April 20, 2001, when her plane was mistaken for a drug courier and shot out of the sky, underscores the sobering fact that contemporary missionaries face the same level of hardship and sacrifice as did their counterparts so many years ago. Boasting feature-film level production values, Worth It All, which was filmed on location in Peru, will make a popular addition to most public libraries, and is especially recommended for larger Christian collections and church libraries. Aud: P. (J. Carlson)