Called

"As a biography and history of the complex South American political machinations of the period, Fiol and O'Connor's narrative about John and Clara's extraordinary accomplishments is replete with riveting details."

-Kirkus Review

"CALLED is a decades-spanning story that is suffused with emotion. The prose is refreshingly tender and honest."

-BookLife Prize

"CALLED tells the amazing story of Dr. John and his wife and Mennonite medical nurse Clara Schmidt and their strong will, determination, and faith to follow God's calling to serve the underserved, especially the leprosy community in the wilds of Paraguay. The historical content of this book is rich with detail and important background information, which I found valuable and enlightening. The evolution of Clara is so beautiful, at first a shy, unassuming Mennonite nurse who blossoms into a strong, fierce wife, mother, friend, and community activist. Clara and John are heroes, but always felt they were just being obedient servants of God. I found this story to be truly amazing and enlightening. I was pleasantly surprised by this read - never expecting to find the depth and important historical content within its pages!" 

-Donna Dreeszen, educator, NetGalley reviewer

"I'm impressed by how accurately this book identifies and describes the way a Plautdietsch Mennonite feels, thinks, and does things. This is a history book written as a fascinating adventure story. It's about true love and the whole truth and how simple and also complicated both can be." 

-Siegfried Elmer Ratzlaff Voth, Fernheim Colony, Chaco, Paraguay

"CALLED is a book well worth reading. It features a newly minted Mennonite doctor John Schmidt and his wife Clara, who accepted the challenge of treating people with leprosy in Paraguay, an often-forgotten land of intrigue. When they were asked to undertake this daunting task, conventional practice was to provide victims of this dreaded disease with palliative care in an isolated colony. There was no known cure. Dr. Schmidt chose instead to pioneer a new and more humane treatment premised on home care surrounded by family. Before there was time to prove the merits of this innovation, he encountered such strong resistance from North American sponsors that it threatened to shut down his work. In the end, John and Clara's revolutionary model became the standard for leprosy treatment around the world." 

-Edgar Stoesz, former associate executive secretary, Mennonite Central Committee, and former chairman, American Leprosy Missions

"This book will keep you moving! From Kansas to Paraguay, from WWII to the present day, from certainties to uncertainty, and from old ideas about "leper colonies" to the most enlightened medical and social practices in the treatment of leprosy. As you move, you will also reflect: can love co-exist with childhood beatings, with Platonic passion, with prejudice, with stubborn egos? How much love is sacrificed in the fulfillment of impossible dreams? And how does love always find a way home?" 

-Shirley Showalter, PhD, former professor and president, Goshen College; former foundation executive, The Fetzer Institute; and author of Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World