I worked on this manuscript with Arnaud Bellevue for over a year. The author wrote a wonderfully touching book about his struggles in coming to America. He struggled with growing from a boy to a man in a strange land, surrounded by people who spoke funny. While growing up, he held onto a dream of becoming a professional soccer player, and his life focused on accomplishing this dream. Though others told him he would fail, he never believed them.
The author and I worked closely together on A Reflection of Strength to keep his unique voice, but to correct some of the issues that come along with English being his second language. His book is a wonderful tale of a boy coming of age in a faraway place . . . a place he could not call home.