COURAGE IN PATIENCE
by Beth Fehlbaum
(The Patience Trilogy #1)
Steady On Books
YA Contemporary
264 pages
Courage to endure.
Courage to survive.
Courage to overcome.
Tenacious 14-year-old Ashley Asher claws her way back to normalcy after enduring six years of an unimaginable Hell. Uprooted from her negligent and selfish mother, Ashley finds solace in the safety of her father’s home. Building a relationship with her stepmother, she’s finally able to open up and confront the past that haunts her.
With the help of her stepmom, therapist, and a group of troubled adolescents, Ashley battles her demons, struggling to find the normal teenage life she’s always wanted. Can Ashley find the strength and courage to overcome the horrors of her past while fighting for the future she so deserves?
MY TIDBITS
This is a YA contemporary with bite, which reels in with a range of emotions and refuses to let go long after the last page is read.
Ashley has been mistreated sexually, mentally, and psychologically by her step-father since she was six years old while her mother sat by and ignored it all. Now, she's fifteen and dealing with the wounds alone until a best friend finally draws her out. Ashley moves to a small town in Texas and starts a new life with her real father.
This is a gut-wrenching story, which brings all the hopeless, trapped feelings to vivid life. But this story isn't about the abuse. It's about Ashley's road to healing. In the small town, Ashley finds courage, warmth, acceptance and support. The people around her are still realistic, but offer a wonderful cast which demonstrates the hope despite the scars which never really go away.
The author does a terrific job at bringing the right moments to light at the right times. To say that the reader feels for Ashley is an understatement. But the ray of light is what really makes this series special. No matter how dark and dismal things are, the unexpected aide and unexpected realization that Ashley doesn't have to go it alone is a message to be shouted out for many battles of life. The character development in this is amazing and inspiring at the same time.
Summed up: this is a read that requires a tissue box and a punching pillow. It's an inspiring read not only for teenagers but for adults as well.
The complete trilogy:
And here she is. . .
BETH FEHLBAUM!!!
In addition to writing Young Adult Contemporary Fiction, Beth Fehlbaum is a high school English-Language Arts teacher who frequently draws on her experience as an educator to write her books. She has a B.A. in English, Minor in Secondary Education, and an M.Ed. in Reading.
Beth is a featured author on the 2015-2016 Spirit of Texas Reading List- High School for the Kirkus Starred Reviewed Big Fat Disaster (Merit Press/F+W Media, March 2014) and The Patience Trilogy: Courage (1), Hope (2), and Truth (3) (Steady On Books, April 2016).
Beth is a member of the RAINN (Rape , Abuse, Incest National Network) Speakers’ Bureau. She has a following in the young adult literature world and also among survivors of sexual abuse because of her work with victims’ advocacy groups.
She has been the keynote speaker at the National Crime Victims’ Week Commemoration Ceremony at the Hall of State in Dallas, Texas and a presenter for Greater Texas Community Partners, where she addressed a group of social workers and foster children on the subject of “Hope.”
Beth is in-demand as a panelist, having presented/appeared at the Texas Library Association Annual Conference, the American Library Association’s annual conference, YALSA, and N.C.T.E./ALAN, and she is a member of The Author’s Guild.
She is a survivor of a traumatic childhood, like Ashley in The Patience Trilogy, and the day-to-day manager of an eating disorder much like Colby’s in Big Fat Disaster. These life experiences give her a unique perspective, and she writes her characters’ stories in a way meant to inspire hope.
Beth lives with her family in the woods of East Texas.
You can find Beth online at http:www.bethfehlbaumbooks.com, http://www.uncommonya.com, on Facebook, and on https://twitter.com/bethfehlbaum.
GIVEAWAY!!!
3 comments:
Great review, T! This sounds like an emotional ride!
Thanks! I welcome questions from your readers!
Thanks for sharing these books. They sound really good.
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