Cover Image: No One Ever Asked

No One Ever Asked

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Member Reviews

I have no words. Just tears and a swollen heart. I knew this would be an emotional read when I picked it up, but after having heard so many rave reviews I thought I was prepared.

Not even.

This book undid me so many times—sometimes in the little things, but other times in scenes that will stay with me forever.

In the author’s note at the end, Katie Ganshert says, “Story is a powerful medium. It speaks to hearts in ways facts and articles cannot. Through it, we get to live someone else’s experience. We get to put on someone else’s skin and walk a mile in their shoes, which makes it the best possible breeding ground for empathy.” Well, they’d better be sturdy shoes, because you’ll walk a lot further than a mile in this book. And you’ll probably need to stop and have a few quiet sobs along the way—although, if you’re anything like me, you won’t be able to put the book down while you do. It’s the kind of story that compels you to keep reading. Even when I told myself to put it down (and occasionally managed to follow through), I’d find my thoughts drifting back, then suddenly I would be in the middle of another chapter without even realising I’d picked up the book.

The overarching story is gripping in its own right, but it’s the three point of view characters and the very different perspectives they bring that gives this story maximum impact. All three women are brilliantly drawn—genuine, yet flawed—and through their individual struggles and the way their lives intersect, we’re given a convicting picture of the subtle and not-so-subtle ways we judge others and make assumptions about them and their lives, particularly when there are racial differences involved. And that climax—wow! The prologue gives you a hint of what to expect, but you really have no idea who’s involved until it happens, and that carries a powerful message in itself.

This is an eye-opening read and so well written. You’ll be convicted, you’ll cry, and you’ll come away changed. But whatever else you do, make sure you pick this one up!

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No One Ever Asked is not a light book. It deals heavily with the topic of prejudice and discrimination based on the colour of a person's skin. There are instances written of how a boy was shot dead by a policeman for playing with a toy gun (this was in the news), but when a white boy actually ends up shooting his friend in a mad tussle he gets off with counselling. Where a white boy can come and go in a neighbourhood, Darius (Anaya's brother) has the cops called on him by Camille's neighbours. All because he wanted to visit his friend's (Camille's daughter) house. The feeling of fear that these people live with is palpable. It is a living, breathing entity in No One Ever Asked. Camille and her gang fear for their school - if the averages would go down, about the sort of students that would get transferred in and their influences on their own children. Anaya and her family fear if even their everyday actions could rain hell on their lives. Jen doubts her own worth as a mother and fears for the well being of her child. Each of these characters is justified, yet they are all prejudiced in their own stand. Do they get over these fears and prejudices is what No One Ever Asked has managed to ask.

No One Ever Asked will manage to touch a few nerves here and there. It doesn't matter if you are living in America or Australia or India. Each country comes with own set of prejudices. But today, I can write I know that fear. I can sense it. It is now palpable in everyday life. Where once there was a sense of safety there is now a sense of being preyed upon - because of your religion or your sex or what have you. Recently there was an incident where someone cancelled a cab because it was driven by a Muslim. Of course many justified it while an even more number looked down upon it and made a meme of it. There are distinctions in everyday life that divide us. And those dividing factors are the ones that No One Ever Asked makes us think about. It is a book that will make you feel and then introspect.

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This book is mainly about prejudice and racism. The author did an amazing job of showing both sides and how it changes/affects everyone. How EVERYONE struggles with stereotypes and how we all have our own hardships. She pinpoints that the hardships in life do not have to make you a hard and unloving person. You will never be free or happy when you have hatred in your heart. No matter your impression of a person, you have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. I loved the character development and how attached I grew to all of the characters. While I have a hard time getting in to anything other than murder mystery, I loved this book!! I have really grown to enjoy this reading genre. With that being said, I would highly recommend it to any and all ages/ethnicities/readers.

I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the opportunity!

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Thought-provoking novel on hidden racism and its harmfulness. While reading, I laughed and I cried.

I highly recommend the book.

Beautiful conclusion.

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I'll admit, I was terrified to read this one, which is why I went for it in the first place. A white lady from eastern Iowa whose bio says she "loves Jesus" and is writing about race? One that takes place in suburban St. Louis, with a bunch of white ladies whose biggest concerns in life seem to be their marriages, PTA meetings and high school sports? Oh wow, this could be loaded...

I chose to read this book, also, because it hit pretty close to home for me for a variety of reasons - and sure, yeah, okay, I wanted to see what she had to say. I live in a reality where race, appropriation, etc. are discussed a lot, heavily and intellectually. I have friends who've adopted black children from Ethiopia and Tanzania. I knew the Hart family, too, the two white women whose van recently went over a cliff and into the Pacific ocean, taking with it the six black children they'd adopted (and whom the media ripped to shreds afterward).

So here's the deal: this white lady did well here. I think, for the audience she will probably reach with this book, that she has brought some of the basic issues of race in this country to light in a way that will pack a. gentle but solid punch for those who are still somehow oblivious to the fact that the United States is as racist as it has ever been and don't yet understand why #blacklivesmatter. I also think she's done well with not shoving a religious viewpoint down anyone's throat. There are a few "familiar" references to Bible verses here and there, but overall, it's a very "What Would Jesus Do" kind of thing that points to people just loving and being kind and helpful toward one another, accepting our differences and finding our common ground.

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This book makes you look at things with a different perspective and empathy for others. Very well written, a timely book.

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I wanted to love No One Ever Asked, as so many did. My negative review is not a testament of the book itself, as I think it was just not for me. I struggled to get through the many characters being weaved into the story at the beginning. It reminded me of the pilot of a drama on television where it is awkwardly showing you everyone you need to see, exposing that those people will be important at some time, but that time is not now. I did not enjoy how many stories were represented in this book. I thought it got muddled and confusing. Again, I think this was just not the book for me.

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In the times we live in, this book struck a nerve that I think everyone should feel deeply.  From racism to attachment issues with adoption, this book hits some strong points. I have come to expect not just hard topics, but a well written novel by Ms. Ganshert. I was not disappointed. This will be one that I would recommend as a book club read, book group or anything like that, as you will want to talk about it with someone. 

You won't want to miss this book. You know how you can't stop thinking about a book after you read it? This is one of those. 

I obtained this book through NetGalley and the publisher. The opinions contained herein are my own.

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I have read many of Katie Ganshert's book. I enjoy reading of areas close to me in Missouri.

Read intro of Brown v. Board of Education and I was interested.

As I started reading, I thought that it sounded like a situation that I kept reading of and seeing on our local news...then in the Afterword, I learned that I was correct- it was based on the local schools.

South Fork schools lost accreditation - so it will start busing students to Crystal Ridge.
A mother is teaching in her 1st year
A mother has just adopted a girl of another race and who has suffered a trauma.
A mother is pulling together after her husband leaves her.

This book raises issues of racism, white privilege, education, segregation, parenthood/childhood
new and old friendships both for young and mature.

EMPATHY WILL GROW! We must allow it to.

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*Thanks to NetGalley and Waterbrook for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* This hard-hitting novels manages to deal with a plethora of topical issues - from school funding and zoning, to race, class, police shootings and international adoption. It helped me hooked from the very first page. The characters are not always likeable or perfect, but that makes them inherently more relatable. The story is based around two very different school districts in the state of Missouri - privileged, mainly white Crystal Ridge and underprivileged, non-white South Fork. When the South Fork School District loses its accreditation (I'm not American, so did not even know that was a thing), the students that attend its schools are given the option to be bussed to high-performing Crystal Ridge schools. This is where the fun begins, as families on both sides resent the move and simmering hostilities are brought out into the open. A brilliant, thought-provoking read.

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3.5 stars
This book is the story of three families whose lives overlap in many areas including school, adoption, health issues, marriage issues, racism and gun violence.
I am so very conflicted about this book. I truly loved most of the book, but other parts I did not care for at all. The very best thing about this book is the strong Christian theme running throughout the story. Secondly, the author is a master at creating both believable characters and delivering solid writing within every sentence.
However, Ms. Ganshert is just plain trying to hard to be profound and relevant. She tackles some troubling and disturbing aspects of day to day life without sugarcoating them, which I appreciate from authors. Ganshert just tried to incorporate far too many stories into one book. This book really should have been broken into two books.
The story of Taylor, Camille and their family should be one story, Jen and her family one story and Anaya and her family included into any of the other stories. The chapter by chapter back and forth between the three main characters left out to much detail and as a reader much has to be assumed.
There is just so much going on in this book. If it was scaled back just a tad it would have been much more believable. Overall, It is a good book and I would not hesitate to read this author again.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

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I really think books like No One Ever Asked are so important. There are some things we can never understand unless we we are able to see the point of view of others. I think this book did a great job of conveying that point. There were several different characters who cross paths but who all have different walks of life and different struggles and I thought Ganshert did a great job with their character development. I have read every book Katie Ganshert has written, and I have loved them all, but this one I think may be the most important. This is book club material. This is a book that needs to be discussed and open further dialogue about racism. I love that there are discussions questions conveniently included. I recommended No One Ever Asked to fans of Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give or to fans of Katie Ganshert.

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Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book. I found it to be a very well written story, an important story that unfortunately is still all to real in our world today.
This book got me thinking about how we may think we feel a certain way but actions show our true selves much more than words.
I believe there is much more work to be done.....books like this prevent us from forgetting that the world still has a way to go....in some ways we have made great strides in our thinking ..... but in many ways we have a great deal ways to go!,,

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Does this kind of thing as described in this raw, but beautifully written novel actually happen today? You betcha! Look around!
This is just the book everyone and especially adolescents need to read and discuss.
Each person and family in these chapters is dealing with everyday real life crisis! It is a hard but necessary read!
Well done Katie Ganshert!

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A well written book touching a sensitive subject mstter,race, goid devrlopmrnt of characters throughout the book with a twist at the end of the book.The suthor poses a series of questions,snd sttitude thst people relate to in the race issue it slso shows that race is a two duded effect.

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No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert was absolutely amazing. The characters were so well developed they were actually four-dimensional! Katie did a wonderful job threading the characters together. I loved how the characters saw the others as having a more solid life than themselves, yet the others were far from perfect as they were all dealing with big issues.

The plot was so current to the times we are living in. At first I thought something like that could never happen in today's world, but once I put thought to the matter I realized that unfortunately, these events could and can happen.

I especially liked the Jubilee subplot as I'm not familiar with adoption of a child other than an infant. So the issues Jubilee and her parents had over the course of the book was eye opening to me. I highly, highly recommend No One Ever Asked, grab your copy today!

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A story that helps gives insight on a crucial problem we need to fix to make North America Great: racism. From the viewpoint of a white mother, a white mother of an adopted Liberian girl, and a black woman whose skin colour has cost her and hers so much, this is an uplifting, gripping story that will leave a great impression on readers wanting to contribute to the elimination of racism.

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No One Ever Asked is a deep, thought-provoking story. It was definitely not an easy read and had me questioning my own beliefs as I traversed each page. I'm finding that a story like this is a difficult one to review, so I will just say that I enjoyed the book. It's well written, well researched, well thought out. The only negative I have is that I wish more of the characters had dealt with their racist feelings/actions. That being said, I very much appreciate Katie Ganshert's willingness to dive into such a hot, difficult topic and handle it with much grace!

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No One Ever Asked is a book that examines prejudice and discrimination through several families in a school district. Each families faced their own struggles with various problems. This book makes you analyze yourself and how you treat others. Another important point Ms. Ganshert makes in the book is the perception you have of others. What we believe to be true of a person (and family), may not be what is actually true. Everyone faces difficult situations or troubles. This was a fantastic book to read and very eye-opening to examining my own thoughts and how I categorize others. The book also provided you with different perspectives of different types of characters throughout. For educators and parents everywhere, I would say that you should read this book. There are so many important points this book made about how we view others, how things can escalate, and the struggles we each face. As I read, I did not want to put the book down. I highly recommend this book for anyone!!! Ms. Ganshert does a fantastic job with this book!!!
***I was given a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review. This is my honest opinion. Even though I received this copy free, I have purchased her books before.

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"No One Ever Asked" is one of those books that require humility to read. I'm afraid I'm gonna jumble throughout this review, but if you don't remember anything else, please take this to heart: you need humility to read this book .

Each one of us in our day-to-day lives are put in positions of influence one way or another. Honestly, we might not even recognize we're in it, but don't doubt your influence. This is one of the reasons this book can be uncomfortable to read, because as we relate to it, we can think: but I didn't mean to; what was I suppose to do? what can I do?

Start here, by this question: what can I do, and be truly opened to take a step from here.
Throughout this book, the author mentioned many quotes from other books, including one of my favorites:
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It's not.” - The Lorax
I adore it when I can use this quote with my students (not sure they're that enthusiastic when their teacher becomes all environmentalist on them, though haha) because it brings back that idea of influence, making the best of opportunities, being present and opened to care. There are many horrible things going on around the world, and let me tell you a few items that will be on the top of the list: prejudice and gossip. It breaks my heart to see this happening, but to live as if it didn't (even if it's not "our reality") is just not practicing empathy.

Personally, I felt like "No One Never Asked" was an invitation for me to go beyond my preconceptions, to seek more deeply into ideas I was pretty sure I knew everything about. It was a wake-up call that maybe we're holding tightly to a few misconceptions and we're being fueled by pride. In a world where arrogance and overconfidence are praised, would we be willing to take the first step and humble ourselves to see and listen to others? To put ourselves in others' shoes?

Discrimination is many times a group problem. I confess I hadn't thought of this before.
Segregation and intolerance create the death of fellowship, and I believe, above all else, this book is a wake up call to this. It was not a way to point fingers but an invitation to stop and ask: what can I do? This book is a tool to approach difficult topics and start asking: where do we stand among this?
This was not a comfortable book because it deals with difficult topics; nevertheless, they are urgent topics because they are related to life, they lead us to not fall again into the trap that empathy comes naturally either than being something that must be awakened, cared for, cultivated and nourished. Not by pushing yourself away, but by bringing yourself close.

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