Anela's Club - by D K Yamashiro (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"An inspiring story of teenage resilience and how trauma need not be an insurmountable obstacle." - Kirkus Reviews

"Anela's inspiring journey is a testimony to how we all can rise from traumatic darkness to brilliant change and growth." -Joanne P. McCallie, Six-Time NCAA Women's Basketball Coach of the Year, Duke University, Author of Secret Warrior (Köehler)

When Anela Lee's brother, Jake, dies on the football field, her family is shattered. Her parents never wanted her, and without her biggest cheerleader, she withdraws into her pain and insecurities. Even school, once a refuge, means nothing anymore. Only one teacher refuses to give up on her, pushing her to enter an essay contest that gives her a shot at Harvard. Still, self-doubt holds Anela back.

Then a senator teaches her about the many world leaders who have used their childhood trauma to do great things. The hope that Anela can turn her pain into something beautiful gives her back her spark and encourages her to enter the contest. But does she have the confidence to share her essay in front of an audience?

Anela's Club is a coming-of-age story about rising above tragedy and learning to view life through a lens of hope and love.

Review Quotes

"An inspiring story of teenage resilience and how trauma need not be an insurmountable obstacle." - Kirkus Reviews

"Anela's inspiring journey is a testimony to how we all can rise from traumatic darkness to brilliant change and growth."-Joanne P. McCallie, Six-Time NCAA Women's Basketball Coach of the Year, Duke University, Author of Secret Warrior

"Touching, moving, human-and profoundly intelligent." -J. Mark Ramseyer, Mitsubishi Professor of Japanese Legal Studies, Harvard University, Author of Contracting in Japan

"Anela's Club, at first, reads like playing checkers, but this is nothing less than a chess game on life. Enlightening . . . and strong." -Dino Babers, ACC Football Coach of the Year, Syracuse University

"Aimed at teen readers but perfect for the teen still living in all of us. The final scenes are emotional, and I admit it, tear-worthy." -David Patneaude, Award-Winning Young Adult Fiction Author, including Thin Wood Walls

"A poetic story and powerfully told, showing us that deep childhood trauma has the ability to break or make us, and the happenstance of a mentor with the right words." -Dianne C. Braley, Author of The Silence and the Sound, NYC 2022 Big Book Award Winner

"D. K. Yamashiro is arguably the world's leading expert on the childhood trauma experienced by U.S. presidents. In Anela's Club, he provides a masterful story that can help people through personal trauma." -Gary Scott Smith, PhD, Author of Faith and the Presidency and Religion in the Oval Office

"I loved every part of Anela's Club, as I read it in one sitting. There are lessons in Anela's story for all of us to learn from." -Bill Sheehan, Author of A Tail Among Tales

"Anela's Club is a triumph! Whether we are dealing with trauma or not, we all need to become ourselves. It lifts the heart to be a part of Anela's Club." -Eleanor M. Cooper, EdD, Author of Dragonfly Dreams, Benjamin Franklin Award Winner

"I loved meeting D. K. Yamashiro's Anela and joining her club. Highly recommended." -Lynn Seldon, Author of Carolina's Ring

"I most appreciated the clear message of being true to oneself in the face of peer pressure; and finding and holding onto hope, even in what can be some very dark hours in our lives." -Anne E. C. McCants, PhD, Ann F. Friedlaender Professor of History at MIT

"This story of a resilient young woman will inspire any reader. Yamashiro guides us through Anela's dreams and challenges, and gives us, too, her great blessing: hope." -William R. Cross, Chair of the Advisory Board, Yale Center for Faith and Culture, Author of Winslow Homer: American Passage

"Anela's determination shines brightly, connecting us with the human side of politics. Love and hope are tested in this wonderful page turner." -Kathleen Reid, Author of Secrets in the Palazzo, Pencraft Award Winner 2022

"Thought-provoking and timeless . . . offering touch points for diverse audiences, particularly youth navigating the complex terrain of tragedy, abandonment, and self-doubt." -Hugh H. Dunn, PhD, Director of the Pacific Literacy Consortium, University of Hawaii, Author of Kahai's Journey