Unlocked
A story of unexpected friendship and the courage to defy expectations
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Unlocked
Narrated by:
Roxanne Hernandez
Buy Now for £12.99
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Narrated by:
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Roxanne Hernandez
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By:
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Karen Kingsbury
About this listen
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury comes a moving small-town story about an unlikely friendship between a popular cheerleader and a teenage boy with autism--and the miracle that unfolds when someone dares to take a stand.
Holden Harris may live in a quiet, private world of his own, but inside, he's happy and connected. At eighteen, though, his autism makes him a target of daily bullying at school. When Ella Reynolds--part of the in-crowd and star of the drama production--discovers that Holden was once her childhood best friend, she begins to see beyond the labels. Drawn together by music and a shared past, Ella risks her popularity to stand against cruelty, even when it means confronting her own boyfriend and peers.
Inspiring and heartfelt, Unlocked is a powerful reminder of the difference one person's courage can make. With a reading group guide and a personal letter from the author, this standalone novel is perfect for book clubs and makes a meaningful gift for readers who believe in the power of friendship, faith, and miracles.
Listeners also enjoyed...
Holden Harris is an eighteen-year-old locked in a prison of autism. Despite his quiet ways and quirky behaviors, Holden is very happy and socially normal—on the inside, in a private world all his own. In reality, he is bullied at school by kids who only see that he is very different. Ella Reynolds is part of the “in” crowd. A cheerleader and star of the high school drama production, her life seems perfect. When she catches Holden listening to her rehearse for the school play, she is drawn to him … the way he is drawn to the music. Then, Ella makes a dramatic discovery—she and Holden were best friends as children. Frustrated by the way Holden is bullied, and horrified at the indifference of her peers, Ella decides to take a stand against the most privileged and popular kids at school. Including her boyfriend, Jake. Ella believes miracles can happen in the unlikeliest places, and that just maybe an entire community might celebrate from the sidelines. But will Holden’s praying mother and the efforts of Ella and a cast of theater kids be enough to unlock the prison that contains Holden? This time, friendship, faith, and the power of a song must be strong enough to open the doors to the miracle Holden needs.
My comments:
I remember reading this book when it came out as the description drew me in. As someone with a disability which can often be miss understood I felt an instant connection to Holden's attempts to communicate and let people know who he really was. Sometimes in life it takes one person to create change and Ella was that character in this book. Through her friendship with Holden she saw things she'd never seen before and decided to take a stand. Ella saw Holden for who he was and as she began to understand him others did to. While this book is fiction change can happen and weather certain facts were accurate or not the truth is one person who is willing can make a difference which Ella did. Seeing Holden slowly start to connect through the love of music was powerful and the way he displayed his faith in god was touching and heart warming. This was a very emotional book however it gives me hope that one day other disabilities such as Total blindness which is what I suffer from will also be explored more and people will start seeing the person rather than whatever disability they may have. I've experienced this with a couple of sited friends who've taken the time to get to know me for me and see beyond my disabilities and see what i'm truly capable of, Ella did this with Holden in this book and it had a wripple affect. This book was even better on my second read and I took so much more from it this time round.
The deaf of Michael was also a great addition to the story, while sad it shown what can happen when someone is bullied so much that they feel so worthless just because there different and have diferent interests. Michael however always tried to stick up for others despite how bullied he was and he was a lovely character. The scene where he ddied touched at my heart strings especially the way he accepted Jesus before he died.
As a christian I love this authors work, what I like the mmost is the christian element is there however not overbaring and is powerful however gently inserted so people can see god's love and goodness without feeling like there being bombarded with a lot of religion, as it's not a religion it's a relationship between the person and god and the way Holden was shown this. Reading this authors work was what started me on the road to committing to christianity and then a organisation called the torch trust through there holidays did the rest.
Emotional and powerful, all bullies should read.
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