No One is Invincible

by Shawn Walker

Life is a precious thing. This is something sixteen year old John knows all too well. Intelligent, punk rock, and seemingly alone in a home filled with domestic violence, John runs away and finds himself homeless and living on the streets. Faced with hunger, horrid winter weather, and human ignorance, John struggles to find morality in the world around him. That is, until the love and help of a mysterious old lady who goes by the name "Mom" and charismatic, 6 year old little girl, Candy, show him light can be found in the darkest of places. Can John face down not only homelessness, but also the fear of losing a loved one to a very deadly killing agent, cancer?

Genres: Young Adult

287 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 3, 2016

About the author

Shawn Walker is a down to earth, candid kind of guy who loves art in its many formats. He takes deep pleasure in listening to and writing music. He particularly enjoys punk rock. In addition to music, Shawn writes poetry and novels. Shawn has been writing since he was a young teenager and began writing his first published novel, No one is Invincible when he was 20 years old. Shawn hopes this novel provides a sense of empathy and compassion not only for people who have personally battled cancer, but also for family, friends, and loved who emotionally battled alongside them. He hopes to let these loved ones know, their role is an endeavor too. He also hopes to open people’s minds to things in this world that he feels are morally corrupt. Shawn currently resides in Springdale, Arkansas with his high school sweetheart of six years.

Reviews

[Danielle Urban · Rating 5 out of 5]

No One Is Invincible by Shawn Walker is a read to behold. This novel holds more than to the eyes see. A story is that is deep...emotional and one that awakens readers to the evils of men. Human ignorance is one of the worst evils humans possess. That and greed. The more we have the more we want. Yet when we meet those who have little or nothing we turn a blind's eye to them. It's those people that we should be helping and paying attention to...not to our wealth. Family comes in all varieties these days. A young man is smart yet feels alone runs away from his home. He is soon faced with problems of hunger, shelter, and love. Humans see the issues but they harden their hearts instead of opening them. I felt sadness, frustration, and anger. The difficulties and struggles of the characters were easy to relate to and understand. I want to cry, hug, and love the characters like they were my own family. I wanted to help them. In the end, I felt the loss, the grief, but also, a sense of belonging and love. There is hope after all...Shawn Walker's novel, No One is Invincible is one that all should read. I highly recommend it to readers worldwide. The issues are real. The characters will tug at readers' hearts and souls. I fell in love. Overall, this was masterfully woven and well-developed.

[Samantha Gunning]

I won this book via Goodreads First Reads Giveaway. I received an autographed paperback copy.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it held my interest and I found I was always eager to keep picking it up to finish it (it's been a while since I've read something like that). It's nice to read a story about a loving family, John, candy, and Mom, that came together out of circumstance.

[Pallavi Sareen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
You know how we hear that "Teenagers think they're invincible. That they can do anything"
That's the first thought that crossed my mind when I saw the title. And after seeing the cover, I thought, it'd be some story of a teenager doing stupid things and discovering himself in the process.
I was so wrong.
When you think things are getting better, it gets worse. And it's such an emotional book. Homeless, starving, and responsible for a kid, that's too much responsibility for John. And even though I loved candy, she is just a kid and kids get needy. I saw his struggle to balance everything, surviving and taking care of Candy.And I saw him trying to be happy even when the circumstances were terrible. I think this book showed me the harshest of truth and I needed to see it. When we see a homeless person, none of us stops to think about his story and what circumstances brought him there, how he's trying to survive day after another. All our problems seem superficial compared to that. I really liked the story and the message this book was trying to convey. What I didn't enjoy much was the writing style. When I read the first few passages, it felt like I was reading some kid's journal. And John's way of talking irked me. Sometime he talked stupidly and other times like a pretentious person. I also found that Candy's dialogues didn't match up with her age. There's one character that felt real to me and that's Josh but Alas! we only have a few chapters with him. Now mentioning Mom (Why Mom? Like what kind of nick-name is mom? I mean I get that she's a motherly figure but still, you can't just name her Mom. Oh wait, you can! Writer's freedom. But still I thought that there wasn't any creativity with the names and the flow of writing wasn't that good. But the theme, it's worth it.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.)