Cathy Liggett Reviews

Added January 17, 2010

Beaded Hope

Author: Cathy Liggett
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Available At: Bookstores everywhere
Publishing Date: March 2010
Genre: Christian/Fiction/Contemporary
Format: Trade Paper
Price: $12.99
ISBN-13: 978-1-4143-3212-3
Author Email/Website: http://www.cathyliggett.com
Reviewer: Joyce Handzo
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

Beaded Hope glitters with the tears, trials and triumphs of women everywhere. When four American women travel to South Africa on a mission trip, their lives both collide and connect with the women of that country. They discover that the hopes and faith of females everywhere share a common bond that crosses cultural barriers and joins together at the foot of the Cross.

The women who travel to Mamelodi, South Africa initially seek escape from their own lives but find themselves joyfully enslaved to a cause that is greater than themselves. Cassandra, glamorous but aging newscaster, wants to boost her career. Gabby is fleeing from her infertility, while the mother-stepdaughter team of Heidi and Katie are struggling with their relationship. Traveling to South Africa was a way for all of them to forget their problems, but they never realized that their minds and hearts would be eternally engrained with the sights, smells and sounds of this land.

This is no ordinary story. Beaded Hope is a personal and powerful tour of a country that cries for help. Each turn of the page reveals the poverty of these native women, who wake to bleak existences in dangerous, disease-filled communities, yet who embrace every day with joy and hope. By selling intricate and beautiful beadwork, a skill that has been handed down through the generations, the women of South Africa support their families. The American women take this idea and create a way to market the jewelry on a global scale to increase the profits for their sisters in Christ. When Gabby, Heidi, Katie and Cassandra focus on this mission, their own situations are placed in perspective.

But the book doesn't end with the last page. Beaded Hope is also the name of the nonprofit organization which was the inspiration behind the book. Their mission is to empower South African women by giving them a way to earn an income and preserve age-old bead working traditions. Since most of the population of that country suffers from the effects of HIV and AIDS, Beaded Hope is a blessing on both the financial and spiritual level.

A portion of the proceeds of this novel will go to support this organization and it's an excellent way for readers to come alongside the characters in this book and make a difference in the lives of South African women.

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This page was last updated on January 17, 2010

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