This debut novella and religious self-help book aims to help readers rediscover themselves through the stories of two families and the teachings of the Bible.
Rudecindo uses her skills as a storyteller to help guide readers to self-discovery and happiness. She details the trajectories of two fictional families, each hindered by societal prejudices. Laura comes from a wealthy clan; her father is a successful, powerful, and well-respected figure in their rural community. When he decides that she and her siblings need a formal education in order to excel, they move to the city. Although they’re initially excited, they’re soon burdened by their new community’s racism and classism. People mock their dark skin and say they have “ugly” noses, and the family members internalize deep feelings of hurt, thus becoming hardened, negative, and unhappy; Rudecindo explains that they each “had their own ‘crosses’ to bear.” Another family is wealthy and lives in the city. Some locals ridicule their disfigured son, Hector, who becomes the neighborhood bully after he’s alienated by the other children. He bullies Laura and her family, calling them “hillbillies.” Later, Laura moves to America, finds hope in the Christian faith, and goes back to her homeland to spread the Word of the Bible. Although she’s wary of how her family and community will react, she’s driven by her newfound religious inspiration. Rudecindo says that as readers follow the stories of her characters, “they will relate to one of them and learn from their journey the true path to happiness in spite of the circumstances in the world around them.” Although her book will likely resonate more deeply with a Christian audience, as its message is driven by biblical teachings, any reader may appreciate this inspiring narrative of overcoming prejudice. Its uplifting prose addresses how to deal with problems such as identity crises, negative thoughts, internalized feelings of inferiority, and desperation in the face of perceived failure. At the end, Rudecindo offers a helpful interactive section in which readers may write out their reflections on the characters and compare their problems and healing processes to their own. A useful, quick read, recommended for those who want to connect more deeply with religious lessons and apply helpful prayer techniques to their own lives.
Pub Date: Nov. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4984-1815-7
Page Count: 106
Publisher: Xulon Press
Review Posted Online: July 8, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A first novel, this is also a first person account of Scout's (Jean Louise) recall of the years that led to the ending of a mystery, the breaking of her brother Jem's elbow, the death of her father's enemy — and the close of childhood years. A widower, Atticus raises his children with legal dispassion and paternal intelligence, and is ably abetted by Calpurnia, the colored cook, while the Alabama town of Maycomb, in the 1930's, remains aloof to their divergence from its tribal patterns. Scout and Jem, with their summer-time companion, Dill, find their paths free from interference — but not from dangers; their curiosity about the imprisoned Boo, whose miserable past is incorporated in their play, results in a tentative friendliness; their fears of Atticus' lack of distinction is dissipated when he shoots a mad dog; his defense of a Negro accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell, is followed with avid interest and turns the rabble whites against him. Scout is the means of averting an attack on Atticus but when he loses the case it is Boo who saves Jem and Scout by killing Mayella's father when he attempts to murder them. The shadows of a beginning for black-white understanding, the persistent fight that Scout carries on against school, Jem's emergence into adulthood, Calpurnia's quiet power, and all the incidents touching on the children's "growing outward" have an attractive starchiness that keeps this southern picture pert and provocative. There is much advance interest in this book; it has been selected by the Literary Guild and Reader's Digest; it should win many friends.
Pub Date: July 11, 1960
ISBN: 0060935464
Page Count: 323
Publisher: Lippincott
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1960
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with...
Talk-show queen takes tumble as millions jeer.
Nora Bridges is a wildly popular radio spokesperson for family-first virtues, but her loyal listeners don't know that she walked out on her husband and teenaged daughters years ago and didn't look back. Now that a former lover has sold racy pix of naked Nora and horny himself to a national tabloid, her estranged daughter Ruby, an unsuccessful stand-up comic in Los Angeles, has been approached to pen a tell-all. Greedy for the fat fee she's been promised, Ruby agrees and heads for the San Juan Islands, eager to get reacquainted with the mom she plans to betray. Once in the family homestead, nasty Ruby alternately sulks and glares at her mother, who is temporarily wheelchair-bound as a result of a post-scandal car crash. Uncaring, Ruby begins writing her side of the story when she's not strolling on the beach with former sweetheart Dean Sloan, the son of wealthy socialites who basically ignored him and his gay brother Eric. Eric, now dying of cancer and also in a wheelchair, has returned to the island. This dismal threesome catch up on old times, recalling their childhood idylls on the island. After Ruby's perfect big sister Caroline shows up, there's another round of heartfelt talk. Nora gradually reveals the truth about her unloving husband and her late father's alcoholism, which led her to seek the approval of others at the cost of her own peace of mind. And so on. Ruby is aghast to discover that she doesn't know everything after all, but Dean offers her subdued comfort. Happy endings await almost everyone—except for readers of this nobly preachy snifflefest.
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with syrupy platitudes about life and love.Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-609-60737-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
