How Life’s Challenges Shape Who We Become

I have never cared too much what people say. What I am interested in is what they do. 

– Shirley Chisholm

The characters in my novel-in-progress, Kings of Armageddon, struggle with social constructs of race, gender, and religion. The year is 1965, just after the Civil Rights Act had been signed, and Gloria King dreams that her children will benefit from all the promises of the movement. At the same time, her husband has embraced a faith that preaches that Armageddon will come by 1975.

Gloria struggles between giving up her beliefs in the promises of the movement, or embracing the promises of her newly adopted faith and her husband that they will live forever in a paradise earth if they follow the new teachings.

Writing this story has challenged me to consider perspectives that are rarely explored. Gloria’s life is shaped by the tension between societal change and religious conviction, and the choices she and her husband make reflect the ways families confront both external pressures and deeply personal values.

Through this family saga, readers can explore the complexities of courage, love, and identity. What does it mean to do the right thing when your heart pulls in two different directions? How do we balance personal conviction with loyalty to family, community and God? These are the questions at the heart of the novel, and they are questions that resonate far beyond the 1960s setting.

While I can’t share excerpts from the book just yet, I hope this glimpse into this family’s journey sparks curiosity and reflection. This story is ultimately about resilience, moral courage, and the ways life’s challenges shape who we become.

Should Gloria abandon the dreams that her children reap the benefits of the changing world, or embrace the religion her husband loves? This story uncovers what is learned as a family faces challenges to find truth and meaning in the world.