Switched, by the amazingly talented N. R. Walker, is a must read for anyone who has struggled with their own family and gets lost in the many “What if?” that arise when trying to understand why they have been ignored and constantly hurt by the people who should have loved them most. Israel Ingham is a 26 year old successful businessman who has lived in material comfort but is deeply hurt by being ignored and belittled by his cold parents. Sam, his best friend, the friends they have in common and Sam’s family love him very much and are the brightest sun rays in his gray and often stormy inner landscape. One fateful day, everything changes. He finds out that his parents aren’t really his parents. Israel’s world shifts on its axis and he is more lost than ever after meeting his real family and seeing how kindhearted his real mother is. However, it is in these trying times that Israel’s true fortitude of character, his courage and his deep compassion emerge, warming first his own heart, then his parents’. In life, nothing is what it seems, and one needs to be brave to be willing to really see.
Masterfully built by N. R. Walker, graced with a great cover created by Sara York that artfully reveals Israel’s inner turmoils, and narrated by the amazing Joel Leslie, Switched is a book that will make you think, laugh a lot and cry cathartic tears. Highly recommended!