Freedom Road

I read Waiting On Hope  by T.M. Souders and I was totally captivated by it, so I looked forward to reading  her new book, Freedom Road.  Souders is a wonderful story teller and I was hooked from the first paragraph.  What kind of a father lops his child’s finger off?

From that first paragraph I was drawn into the world of eighteen year old Sam (Samantha) Becker.  Her dysfunctional family (an alcoholic mother and a tyrannical father) has left deep scars and Sam has built a wall around herself, keeping everybody at a distance emotionally. The one thing she has held dear; the one thing that has comforted her through grief, loneliness, confusion and anger is her guitar. Playing it has given her solace, carried her away from her tumultuous world and fostered a dream of a new future.

She carry’s that dream deep in heart, until there is an incident in which her father lops her finger off–her fret finger.  She is angry and disconsolate  as she contemplates what this loss means to her.

Sam learns who her friends are, she learns how calculating her father is, she reconnects with her mother, she finds support from Tad Mitchell, a twelve year old boy who hero-worships her and Laird Brian, who is interested in connecting with the person who hides behind the wall. Both these new friends encourage her to take control of her life and support her as she struggles.

Sam is a courageous, determined young woman who learns many things about herself, her life and her dysfunctional family as she fights to find her place in life.

This is a story that tugged at my heart.  I felt for Sam, laughed with her, cried with her,  felt her anger, her uncertainty, her determination and the stirrings of love for both Tad and Laird. The characters were well rounded, the plot had enough twists and turns to hold my attention and there was  a sense of realism about the entire book.

This is a wonderful story for anyone from 14 to 95.  I highly recommend it!

You can purchase this book on Amazon in both ebook and print format