We Are Called to Rise

By: Laura McBride

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell, Kirby Heyborne, Madeleine Maby, Pete Simonelli

Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

"We never know how high we are / Till we are called to rise; And then, if we are true to plan, / Our statures touch the skies." (Emily Dickinson)

Beyond Las Vegas' casinos lies a boomtown where four lives can be brought together by one split-second choice.

In the predawn hours, a woman's marriage crumbles with a single confession. Across town, an immigrant family struggles to fit in and get by in the land of opportunity. Three thousand miles away, a soldier wakes up in Walter Reed hospital with the vague feeling that he’s done something awful. In a single moment, these disparate lives intersect. Faced with seemingly insurmountable loss, each person must decide whether to give in to despair, or to find the courage and resilience to rise.

We Are Called to Rise is a story about a child's fate. It is a story about families - the ones we have and the ones we make. It challenges us to think about our responsibilities to one another and reminds us that compassion and charity can rescue us, even in our darkest moment. It is a book that will break your heart and then put it back together.

©2014 Laura McBride (P)2014 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Superb

Several narrators so easy to tell characters apart.
This could be the perfect book.
Interesting story, compelling characters. Redemptive!
Sad I'm finished with it.

Just amazing

I had to take a break from this story it was so intense. So well written and each character was so deep. There was a couple of loose ends but it was clear as to why. Glad I can back to finish this amazing story of a boys bravery.

Enjoyed it

Kept me guessing about how the characters would connect. Good book, well read, tender story.

Best recommendation ever

I was recommended this book not in the audible form by my best friend and she told me not to expect anything.
By only was the story amazing but being able to hear it brought so much more life that I was ready for. I'm bawling but it's happy tears

A CONTEMPORARY NOVEL OF TODAY'S ISSUES

The narration was excellent.
A book difficult to put down. Held interest of reader until the last word.
Descriptions accurate .

I couldn't stop listening.

Any additional comments?

This book moved me to tears and made me think. Four different characters face personal crises and learn to adjust to the new realities of their lives. Then all their stories converge. Highly recommended.

Ends too abruptly

It was an interesting read, with interesting characters, especially the boy. But it build to a crescendo then ended; suddenly, leaving me with an unsatisfied feeling.

Amazing and powerful

This was a wonderful listen, contemporary fiction at it's best. The story is told by 4 different narrators, whose lives do not seem to be connected at first.As the book progresses, the events connect the characters. A 53 years old woman goes through a break down of her marriage while trying to find meaning in her life, a soldier alive after a botched suicide attempt, an Albanian refugee's child, and the child's CASA advocate. The story is gripping, raw, honest, believable. I cried as some of the events unfolded. Amazing and powerful book, loved it!

Reviting!

What made the experience of listening to We Are Called to Rise the most enjoyable?

Excellent writing as McBride interweaves four seemingly separate lives with all their sorrows, challenges, and triumphs. Title is appropriate given the threads of the story.

What did you like best about this story?

The reality

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Several

Any additional comments?

Highly recommend

Great story

Loved this book! Well written story about life that makes you feel connected to the characters and to life itself.