Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after a week of work and writing. Both are going well. I also finished reading a book that a colleague recommended to me, and I must say, I loved it. I haven’t read a book like this before, and it amazed me, so I thought I would share it with all of you.
The book is titled, “We are Called to Rise,” and it’s a suspenseful story bringing three unrelated characters together. It’s the story of heartbreak and redemption. How one action can change the course of your life. I read this book in two days. It was that good. Below are the cover and blurb.
“Your heart will break…then soar” (Redbook) when, far from the neon lights of the Vegas strip, three lives collide in a split-second mistake and a child’s fate hangs in the balance.
Avis thought her marriage had hit a temporary rut. But with a single confession in the middle of the night, her carefully constructed life comes undone. After escaping a tumultuous childhood and raising a son, she now faces a future without the security of the home and family she has spent decades building.
Luis only wants to make the grandmother who raised him proud. As a soldier, he was on his way to being the man she taught him to be until he woke up in Walter Reed Hospital with vague and troubling memories of how he got there. Now he must find a new way to live a life of honor.
Every day, young Bashkim looks forward to the quiet order of school and the kind instruction of his third grade teacher. His family relocated to Las Vegas after fleeing political persecution in their homeland. Now their ice cream truck provides just enough extra income to keep them afloat. With his family under constant stress, Bashkim opens his heart to his pen pal, a US soldier.
When these lives come together in a single, shocking moment, each character is called upon to rise. “You’ll be thinking about these characters long after you finish this haunting, heart-wrenching, and hopeful book” (Houston Chronicle).
My Thoughts:
This book spoke to me on many levels. It’s a mother’s story. It’s the story of one mother confronting the darkness in her son, and what she has to do to face it. It’s the story of another mother who failed her daughter, and because of that failure she raises her grandson. It’s the story of another mother who tolerates both physical and emotional abuse to protect her children, and last but not least, it’s the story of redemption. It shows us that even broken people can come together and do the right thing. That broken people can still love with all their hearts.
I highly recommend this story. I related to all the characters on some level, and it’s not very often that happens. It was hard for me to put it down.
How about you? Have you read any great books you’d recommend? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!
