Review of "Circle of Hope"

While looking for an older book that got buried in my TBR mountain, I also wanted to read about one of the so-called "niche" sports.  This inspiring book written by a Christian author during a difficult time in her own life was one that I am glad I dug out.  Here is my review of "Circle of Hope."

Title/Author:

“Circle of Hope: An Inspiring NASCAR Journey” by Deann Alford

Tags:

Auto Racing, NASCAR, underdog, faith

Publish date:

October 23, 2013

Length:

221 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

No matter the sport, fans love the underdog.  When an athlete, a team, a driver overcomes long odds to achieve something that seemed impossible, there is often an inspirational story behind.  This book by journalist Deann Alford, who writes about people like this in all walks of life, captures that spirit with stories about several NASCAR personalities who overcome long odds.

The book starts out with an improbably win in the then-Nationwide series by David Gilliand in only his seventh race in the circuit. From there the author writes about other NASCAR drivers such as the legendary Morgan Shepard, who was living week-to-week with no sponsor but still traveling to each track every week in order to qualify for that weeks’ race. Brett Rowe and Eric McClure are also portrayed and each one has their own stories of inspiration and hope.

Alford writes about these stories as she was going through her own dark period, losing a child due to a miscarriage. This insertion of herself into the story as well as the drivers was a nice touch because it added to the overall theme of the book of not only hope but that of faith as well. Faith is a central theme in many NASCAR events and Alford provides numerous examples of how this is evident in the sport. The best examples are during the stories about Shepard needing to find money for equipment such as tires. Superstars of the sport such as Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick would often contribute money or equipment to Shepard’s team in order to allow him to compete.

Whether the reader is a NASCAR fan or is inspired by underdog stories, this book is one that is not only a quick and inspirational read, it is one that illustrates that no matter the odds or how dark the present may seem, there is always a Circle of Hope that will watch over that individual. 

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Circle-Hope-Inspiring-NASCAR-Journey-ebook/dp/B00G5JMM6K/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=