Emergence of Hope
By Jeff Neugroschel 

      Stacy Coombs is a typical fifteen-year-old, until the dreams begin. The first night is part one; the second night continues with part two and so on, in serial fashion. In the dreams, she is escaping the terror of the Twin Towers on September 11. Her ears still ring with the screams of co-workers up on floor 87. She gasps for air as the stairwell fills with smoke. She stares at the firefighters as they climb, determined to save as many people as possible, even though it may costs them their own lives.

     The images are so vivid and stay with her for so long after she wakes that she becomes convinced that it's more than just a dream. She believes that she is seeing the events of September 11 through the eyes of a man named Pete, who had survived the tragedy but has lost both his memory and his voice. He wanders the streets of New York, lost and alone. Stacy must find him and help him return to his family.

     This story has an interesting premise and moves along quickly, unfortunately, a little too quickly. There is very little skepticism when Stacy tells her story. Even the New York Police Department believes her with very little hesitation! A few doubting Thomases could have contributed both conflict and realism to the plot. Just as I began to feel a real connection with the characters, the story was resolved. In spite of these few drawbacks this is a good book.

     Jeff Neugroschel is an author to watch. His flair for telling a good story should make his future efforts quite enjoyable. I look forward to reading them.