Whispers of Hope

Finding Strength in Crisis (Against the Odds: Chronicles of Resilience, Book 2)

De: Jordan Smith Jr. Ed.D.

Narrado por: Melli Achna

Diversity Dawn Academy is back for another year, and Benjamin and Sarah are in a pickle! Between the overwhelming number of new applications, the ever-snappy, always obstinate school board of the Ridgefield school district, and a full-blown pandemic...

...Yeah, it's safe to say the pair's got their work cut out for them!

Despite the chaos, everything had been going swimmingly at Diversity Dawn Academy. With all-time high enrollment rates, all the communal support they could ever ask for, and an absolutely immaculate graduation rate, everything was as perfect as could be.

That is, once they were blindsided by the number of new students applying for the program. Of course, that would have been a wonderful thing—had the number of applicants not been ten times what they could hope to house.

Evan Peters, president of the Ridgefield City School Board, gave them two options: either they cut the program in its entirety, for it was becoming a threat to the traditional comprehensive high school, or Benjamin and Sarah could find a place to accommodate all those students themselves...

And thus, Diversity Dawn High School was born!

From dyslexic students and those coming from neglectful parenting, all the way down to victims of gang violence and those harboring suicidal thoughts, the school became a safe haven for students of all sorts. Under the gentle care of their teachers and friends, bit by bit, the children's ailments and troubles began to ebb away.

Just when everything seemed to be going splendidly once again, disaster struck when a deadly virus suddenly appeared, forcing the school to shut down in-person instruction and sending the whole world into a frenzy.

Will Benjamin, Sarah, and all their students make it over this hurdle, or will this mark the end of Diversity Dawn High School?

©2024 Jordan B Smith Jr. Ed.D. (P)2024 Jordan B Smith Jr. Ed.D.

Held My Hand Through a Dark Season

When everything in my life felt like it was falling apart, this book showed up like a quiet companion. The stories weren’t sugarcoated, but they weren’t hopeless either. There’s something powerful about hearing people find strength in what looks like ruin. I found myself pausing often to breathe or reflect. It helped me reframe what I’m going through—not by pretending it’s okay, but by reminding me I still have something inside me worth fighting for.

real talk that stayed with me

This audiobook caught me off guard. I’ve been dealing with some heavy stuff lately, and hearing someone reflect on navigating their own chaos without acting like they had it all together? That meant something. No fluff, no perfect answers, just raw, real reminders that moving forward is still possible, even when everything feels upside down.