No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert is a great story! In 2018, I am making a concerted effort to read more fiction. I tend to lean towards Non-Fiction the majority of the time particularly in the areas of Theology, Christian Growth, Leadership, and Business. Those are all great things…but I need to sprinkle in some things that will help me be more creative. Two years ago I read the entire Harry Potter series in honor of a friend and was totally captivated by the story. I so enjoyed reading No One Ever Asked because of all the areas that I can completely identify with…parenting, adoption, education, identity, etc. The book is every bit of 364 pages, but it’s one of those books that you just don’t want to finish because you don’t want to say goodbye to the families. The three main characters of this story are Anaya Jones, Camille Gray, and Jen Covington. When I first started the book, I worried that I’d have trouble keeping their stories straight. In the end, I realized that it was the beautiful way that God overlapped and tangled their stories that made this such a wonderful read. Rather than staying separate and in their own worlds, it was when they jumped in to the mess and began to truly talk to one another that amazing things happened. This is truly a story of redemption in the midst of a very difficult situation. All of the main characters struggle with fear in a variety of ways…things that all of us can resonate with. There are several references to Scripture throughout as well as mention of God intervening and the movement of the Holy Spirit.
I really enjoyed this book and would eagerly recommend it to others. The main idea of the book…just ask the question. Just have the conversation. Put your own pride aside and take a walk in someone else’s shoes and see what God is teaching you through that experience.
Summary from the publisher’s website:
Challenging perceptions of discrimination and prejudice, this emotionally resonant drama for readers of Lisa Wingate and Jodi Picoult explores three different women navigating challenges in a changing school district–and in their lives.
When an impoverished school district loses its accreditation and the affluent community of Crystal Ridge has no choice but to open their school doors, the lives of three very different women converge: Camille Gray–the wife of an executive, mother of three, long-standing PTA chairwoman and champion fundraiser–faced with a shocking discovery that threatens to tear her picture-perfect world apart at the seams. Jen Covington, the career nurse whose long, painful journey to motherhood finally resulted in adoption but she is struggling with a happily-ever-after so much harder than she anticipated. Twenty-two-year-old Anaya Jones–the first woman in her family to graduate college and a brand new teacher at Crystal Ridge’s top elementary school, unprepared for the powder-keg situation she’s stepped into. Tensions rise within and without, culminating in an unforeseen event that impacts them all. This story explores the implicit biases impacting American society, and asks the ultimate question: What does it mean to be human? Why are we so quick to put labels on each other and categorize people as “this” or “that”, when such complexity exists in each person?
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”