But here is the truth. There is a 100 percent guarantee that nothing will change if you don't step up." pg 33 However, I wish the book included more stories of men who were not CEOs, great athletes, etc. These men are in positions that very few if any of the men in prison I teach can relate to. If I was to take a poll and ask how many have ever gone elk hunting, mountain climbing, spent a few days or more at some lodge in the wilderness I'd be laughed at for asking. It's common sense stuff. Which is fine, but not exactly what I was expecting from this one. I suppose I'll take responsibility for my internal assumptions about what I would learn from Stepping Up. It's not YOU, book, it's me. I would have liked to have known what happens to Emmy, and how their lives continued. I want to know more of Albert and Mavis when they were younger (I loved him!). The main takeaway from Stepping Up, for me, is to stop looking to the government to solve problems -- whether they are local or global. All change begins at the grassroots level, when one person has an idea, and then talks with a neighbor, friend, colleague, coworker, etc. about it.

I loved the characters, so likeable and full of life. Beth was absolutely wonderful throughout, she made me laugh and she also made me just want to give her a great big hug. I feel like so many people could relate to her one way or another. She was great throughout, dealt with the difficult moments with her niece, Polly, so very well. I loved & hated how much this book made me feel! I wasn’t prepared to feel such wonderful raw emotions for fictional characters! It has to be said that of late I’ve turned into a more emotional person but still…My heart is so full but aches so much at the same time! How is that possible?! Cowardice asks the question, Is it safe? Expediency ask the question, Is it politic? Vanity asks the question, Is it popular? But conscience asks the question, Is it right?" Martin Luther King, Jr

In fact, there was a lot of light in this novel. From love interest Jory (who you can’t help falling in love with) to dear friend Arthur (the bow tie scene squeezed my heart), Turner has cleverly blended the every day with the extraordinary, and sadness with joy to make an uplifting and tender read. It is a story about digging deep for strength you never knew you had, and finding magic in the little things that were there all along. I'll be teaching the video series of this book in a prison ministry class as I feel it has a lot of insight on the role of men in their responsibility as leaders of their family and culture as men. For the great majority of the" men in prison they did not have a man in their life to emulate what Rainey seeks to do in "Stepping Up" Turner has a firmly established fanbase from her blog The Unmumsy Mum, which documents the highs and lows of motherhood in an approachable way.

Who is the person(s) that I need to be courageous and intentional with regarding influence and relationship? Stepping up is seeing a need and deciding YOU are the right person to do something about it." pg x. Degene die mij al een tijdje volgen weten dat ik altijd bezwijk voor realistische romans die je naar het hart grijpen. Vallen en opstaan mocht dan zeker ook niet aan mij voorbijgaan. Beth is best een personage waar je dingen van jezelf in zou kunnen herkennen. Ze is nog heel erg zoekende over wat ze nu precies wilt in het leven en hoe ze het beste in zichzelf naar boven kan halen. Aangezien ze er zelf niet aan uit raakt helpt het noodlot haar een handje, van dag op dag, van iemand zonder verantwoordelijkheden naar een voogd met 2 jonge kinderen onder haar vleugels + een huishouden & een nieuwe baan. Haar vlucht mechanisme is hier geen optie, maar vechten voor alles wat er nog te redden valt. An unspeakable tragedy turns Beth's life upside down, and she finds herself guardian to her teenage niece and toddler nephew, catapulted into an unfamiliar world of bedtime stories, parents' evenings and cuddly elephants. Having never been responsible for anyone - or anything - it's not long before she feels seriously out of her depth.There is not power on earth that can neutralize the influence of a high, simple and useful life." Booker T. Washington Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die." G.K. Chesterton Its not my job, its not my fault. There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who make things happen and those who complain about whats happening.