Books like this one make me glad I'm a reader.
I wanted to check this one out simply because it features the Kendrick brothers, and I really enjoyed their previous work, Facing the Giants. This book, written by Chris Fabry but connected to the upcoming "Overcomer" movie, is a 5-star read and is similar in nature to Facing the Giants. There's a small-town in the backdrop, a high school sports theme featuring an underdog, and a seemingly hopeless situation for more than one of the characters in the script.
What is so great about the book is the plausibility of the plot. There's a teenage girl who competes in cross country but has just gotten kicked out of her school and has nowhere to go. She's being raised by her grandmother after her parents were involved in a tragic situation and were no longer around to raise her. She has asthma, but she has no friends. She has trouble trusting others. She gets an opportunity to attend a private school through a mysterious benefactor, but her past still haunts her as she tries to fit in and make meaningful connections in a new place.
There's also a championship caliber basketball coach who is finally on the verge of a state title. Not long after finishing their season, coming so close to a title and with solid hope for the next season, the largest employer in town shuts their doors and thus begins a mass exodus of the citizens of the town along with about half of the student population, resulting in the school having to scale back the athletic and extracurricular offerings to students, including basketball. The coach's first instinct is to become bitter and question God.
For a while in the book, things look hopeless. And even when things begin to look like they are starting to turn around, there are additional setbacks. In that sense, the story is very realistic... and relatable. The author does an outstanding job of presenting the thoughts of each of the characters in a way that connects the reader to what is happening on an emotional level. When the basketball coach finds himself in crisis, he prays sincerely, and the author gives us a glimpse into his thoughts and struggles, and the reader learns that his own struggles are a lot like those of the coach. When the troubled cross-country runner begins to question God and His goodness while also beginning to discover the grace she never knew she needed from Him, her thoughts are sincere and may mirror those of the reader.
And then the reader begins to see how God can really work in and through difficult circumstances. The answers may not always be what was expected, and the endings are not always happy ones, but there is substance in the discovery of God's love, and I don't remember ever finding a book that articulates that in such a real way as this book does. This book is a faith-booster and God is at work in so many different situations in this book that anyone who picks this up will find something to connect with somewhere among these chapters. If you've ever questioned anything about God and who He is or what He is doing in your life, and you're looking for answers in practical and relatable terms, don't miss this book.