Could of Witnesses reveal that throughout the twentieth century an unprecedented multitude of men and women have been martyred for their faith. From the Boxer Rebellion in China at the turn of the century to Aleksander Menn in Russia in 1993 , many have spilled their blood for their beliefs but also given a sign of values more important than the life of the individual.
The first serious attempt to record the courage of today's martyrs, Susan Bergman's treatment of the subject stands in contrast to Butler's Lives of the Saints, long the standard reference to Christianity's legacy of martyrdom. The stories in this thought-provoking and moving book are tackled by leading contemporary writers with intimacy, and sensitivity. Their subjects are far from being plaster-cast saints, rather they are complex and sometimes controversial characters whose legacies give hopeful testament in stark times.