Title: Against All Odds
By: Sheila Hodges
ISBN#978-1-4918-6931-4(sc)
Review Date: August 28, 2014
A CBM Book Review
9.9 out of 10.0 stars
Against All Odds by Sheila Hodges inspires others to
overcome through an encouraging story of Wanda, a young girl brought up in
poverty and abuse. With the use of much
Scripture, this novel is all about giving hope to others and teaching them the
way of the Lord.
Presenting a young girl, Wanda, being born in a single
parent home in 1951, Wanda was raised by her single mother, which meant many
things. First, Wanda was home alone a
lot; her family also endured much poverty and moved many times. Wanda has three older brothers in the book
that were not very nice to her and eventually multi-faceted forms of abuse arise
from the boys, stemming from the parents, trickling down to the children. Wanda, having no real sense of family, ended
up pregnant as a teenager and also married an abusive spouse, therefore
repeating the cycle. Learning to
overcome the many pitfalls of poverty through education, Wanda perseveres and
relies on her faith in God from a young age to see her through the storms of
her life.
This story depicts the often plight of children (especially
young girls) raised in poor environments with a lack of family structure. Endearing, this novel displays how God can
help turn one’s life around, and points others in the direction of seeking
God’s Kingdom first in their lives. The
book begins with a poignant scripture, Matthew 25:31-40 where Jesus
separates the sheeps from the goats at the end of the age, speaking of those
that fed the hungry, clothed the naked and visited those who were sick and in
prison.
Wanda’s life gives understanding to these verses and gives
encouragement that through education, hard work and faith in God, one’s life
can be turned around to give glory to God.
This is a highly encouraging and educational read, giving others faith
in Jesus Christ and His Word for life’s journeys.
You may get your copy of Against All Odds by Sheila Hodges at Amazon, in Kindle Edition, at Barnes and Noble and other fine bookstores. Be sure to visit the author at Against All Odds.
