Waterbrook Fiction: No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert (an Iowa Author)

Releasing April 3rd, 2018

Three Families. Two School Districts. 

A Dozen Miles Between Them, 

But Worlds Apart.

When an impoverished Missouri school district loses its accreditation, the nearby affluent community of Crystal Ridge has no choice but to open its doors to bussed students. Soon the lives of three very different women converge: Camille Gray, long-standing PTA chairwoman and champion fund-raiser, faced with a rattling discovery that threatens to tear apart her picture-perfect world; Jen Covington, a career nurse whose painful journey to motherhood finally results in a happily-ever-after, though not the one she anticipated; and Anaya Jones, the first woman in her family to graduate college and a brand-new teacher at Crystal Ridge’s top elementary school, who is unprepared for the minefield she is stepping into. As tensions rise, Camille, Jen, and Anaya will fiercely protect their loved ones – but at what cost?

Inspired by real-world events, No One Ever Asked is a riveting tale about the way we see one another, the lies we tell ourselves, the questions and stories that go unexplored, and the tragedies that result from our blindness.

I met Katie Ganshert as an author just over a year ago, and I believe I've read most of her books since then.  She's a refreshing author that writes stories set in the present time, about characters that face real life struggles and the reader is invited into their thoughts, emotions, and wonders.  Her characters often have a christian world view.  She's also an adopted mom who lives in the Davenport, IA area, so it's fun to read a novel from someone who has similar passions and lives within an hour and a half drive.

This book is dear to my heart.  The quote above from Anaya's Daddy, is one that we all might benefit from, as we face change, or an unwanted experience.   I love how Anaya grows as she remembers it.  It's a story that needs to be recognized, repeated more often, and a thought provoking book that will have every reader introspectively analyzing their own thoughts about racism, identity, beliefs, relationships, the struggle at accepting, hearing, and grasping the perspective of each person in the struggle.  And I believe each reader will explore a new mindset, a better one, as he or she contemplate which thoughts could have been his or her own.  I know I did.

This book will be a great discussion book.  There are so many ways to approach the themes and threaded concepts with a safe and intentional jumping point, I hope this book becomes a favorite book club book, and I have a feeling it's a timeless discussion on so many levels.   Anger is something all the main characters have to face head on.

Here are some things that could be explored: 

Racism, Inequality, Injustice, Elitism, Generational bigotry, buried emotions, education, coaching, sexism, gun control, culture, change, diabetes, adoption, parenting, self righteous attitudes, grief, understanding another's perspective,  creating friendships, maintaining friendships, community, be the change, forgiveness

This book is one in which I could so easily identify with the setting, the characters, the struggles, each character and I had something in Common. Anaya was a brand new teacher in an elite school district, feeling the awkwardness of being from 'across the tracks.'  I felt like that in my first year teaching as well, in a very well to do school district, at a school in one of the most affluent neighborhoods.  Camille is a mom to three children with very different needs and personalities, and she seeks to love and care for them individually, and she has to accept their independence and growth as they mature.  Her youngest is 8 and in second grade, same as mine.   Jen becomes a school nurse, but she's an adoptive mom to a beautiful girl, and she speaks of Karyn Purvis, the Empowered to Connect conference, and connected parenting, all things I'm so familiar with as we entered kinship care 4 years ago, and have worked through all the same materials and strive to implement it in our home.  The birthday party at the start of the book is so close to our normal I almost cried at hearing the other children and parent's thoughts about the melt down, as it's so often us.

The mindset of change, fits with the growth mindset I strive to develop in myself, my family, and others.  This book shows the lies that we so easily have in our heads, often unintentional, but there nevertheless and impacting how we behave or act with one another.  I'm thankful that the author showed us hope and growth as these struggles ensued, and each character handled their own weaknesses.

My real response was "amazing, wow, so grateful for all the depths and mindset that the characters portrayed!"  This book brings to life so much more than the obvious differences in the lives of these women, it also brings their families and instinctual responses to mind.  And gave me pause as I felt connected to all three women and it expanded my perspective.

I wish it had tied in more to the local church and the perspective of the Word of God and people, but I also am wishing for a sequel that continues the story, with the growth and perspectives gained, perhaps that could showcase more clearly how God views many of these issues.  Then I discover that today-- Katie Ganshert shares her perspective at the Farm (Ann Voskamp's site)...

Want to read the first chapter, it's here at the author's blog.

Want to read other books that will add to the concepts? Here's a list of 7 books the author suggests.