Elizabeth Blake's story, as recounted in the pages of her book, is one throughout which I was constantly asking "What next!?". The events she describes sometimes beggar belief. I found myself incredulously thinking "How could people in responsible positions behave like that?" only to find, on subsequent pages, there was worse to come. That Elizabeth found ways to deal with the many difficult situations she encountered, to push herself further than many would have gone, and not to give up without a fight in the face of overwhelming adversity, is a testament to her strength of character.

The book may be in need, here and there, of a good editor's attention - it's a little rough around the edges in places - but what it lacks in polished writing is made up for in the content of her absorbing story. I constantly wanted to know what happened next.

I feel I should also point out that those who don't share Elizabeth's belief that a god (she spells it with a capital G) has a plan for every individual, might find her assertions in that area a little off-putting. But whatever a person's beliefs may be, there is no denying that Elizabeth's helped her not only deal with some very difficult situations at the time, but also enabled her to find a way to continue doing her utmost to ensure that no child she taught was left behind, even though, despite having sometimes gone an extra five miles, let alone one, she was not always successful.

Whatever else you may get from reading her book, Elizabeth's personal story shows that there is hope for humanity. ( )