Title: Haven in the Hood
Author: Raychel Ryder
Publisher: XilbrisUS
ISBN: 9781984564313
Pages: 96
Genre: Religious & Inspirational Non-Fiction
Reviewed by: Rae C. Bernard

Read Book Review

Many of us are taking living in a peaceful environment for granted, while many others are constantly looking over their shoulders and praying for protection from potential threats in their daily lives. Not everyone has the luxury of choosing a location to live that would provide enough safety for them and their family, so they have to adjust to the best of their abilities. Crimes are at an all-time high in the most urban or rural areas and those who live there are being tested frequently. By having faith and believing in a higher power, it grants you inner peace to continue striving as someone is protecting you and you can sense that. A faith that allows you to envision the light in every dark corner and having the ability to the positive in circumstances that are deemed otherwise. We must be thankful and blessed to be wherever we are in life no matter our struggles, as there are always others that have it worse than us. We don’t live in this giant world alone and should truly consider looking out for each other more, as you never know whose life you would save. Carry out the lessons of God in taking care of your neighbor as you would want someone to take care of you.

In Haven in the Hood, author Raychel Ryder shares the life of a woman named Maria to spread awareness of just how real faith can aid one’s life in the most dangerous situations. There were instances where it can be described that Maria had the ability of ESP. An instinct automatically built within her spirit connected her to things both unseen by average vision and the quick reaction that allowed her to feel like a protector in her community. She lived in a house that was family owned for well over twenty-something years and during that time she bore witness to plenty of crimes that happened all around her. The very possibility of having both the spirit of her great-uncle’s stepmother named Ethel and God looking out for her constantly, gave her a sense of safe haven within her home in the hood. Quite common, whatever she sensed with her apparent sixth sense was always kicked into high gear keeping her alert of her surroundings. It was agreed to say she indeed has a guardian angel communicating with her in her subconscious because there were several dangerous situations that she was able to see prior to any harm coming to her, which repeatedly spared her from endless victim predicaments.

During her years of living in the hood, one because the house was all she could afford, she had two German Shepard guard dogs, Sasha and Zak guarding her home and warning the neighborhood with their loud barks, 911 calls she made we always helpful to first respondents. Being a very observant individual, Maria took special care in gathering as much details in the midst of crimes occurring, tips of others currently undergoing investigation, and even providing information that would enable the police to catch criminals on the run. Even though her neighborhood wasn’t an ideal place to live, within her home she felt entirely shut out from the dangers outside her door, that even visitors which stay with her have also mentioned how safe they feel at her house, despite all that can go wrong in her area. Unfortunately, it took for her mother to need all-around care for Maria to realize she deserved to live in an environment where she doesn’t have to always look over her shoulder, or race to get into her car or home. It worked out in the end because she can take excellent care of her mother without checking her into a nursing home, plus the benefits of sleeping peacefully at night due to her mom’s quiet and safe neighborhood. Her faith and belief in God have surely granted her the chance to claim her home once as her safe haven in the hood and now that she no longer has to worry about the constant crimes, she accepts that part of her life as what molded her into a stronger believer. Things became better with time and all she needed was to stand firm in her faith and have patience to survive.

This book has been a true eye-opener for me because it’s relatable to an extent. Although I’ve been blessed to not know what living in a dangerous area is like, I know of both family and friends that I always pray to God for their safety in the areas they live in. One thing that Maria admitted that stood out to me was her not being able to afford better living environment and since the house was well within her budget, she had to tolerate it off the strength of having independence. I think this was a powerful message because many people are struggling to venture out into their own and based on what they can afford; they’re willing to sacrifice their safety to claim the freedom of independence. I appreciate how much she committed to being additional lookout for her neighbors, in particular the young girls who almost were kidnapped by predatory men. She and her guard dogs provided a justified need that her community deserved, even as an anonymous tip to the authorities she maintained a level of protection for those in need.

I consider this book to be a thoughtful testimony of a woman who sought out her independence and did the best of her abilities to survive in a dangerous area for as long as she could for the sake of her own freedom to do as she pleased. The author created a story that granted her readers the opportunity to not only relate to the protagonist, but to take into consideration that there are always options available, even as a blessing in disguise like in Maria’s mother’s case. To feel as if I were either a neighbor or living as a roommate of Maria shed a different light on what we must be grateful for, as she was such a humbled breath of fresh air managing to hang on for two decades in that area. I encourage others to take a moment to read this book as it would provide some strength to those who have strayed from their faith and to maintain a positive outlook on greater possibilities to appear in their own lives.