Judith Gwinn Adrian & Jaylin M. Stueber

media release: From Hardship to Hope invites the reader to walk into the complexities of two women’s parallel universes. It is a fictionalized, shared autobiography. Some of the moments and experiences come from the co-authors' lives. Some do not.

This book challenges us to consider where our—often strongly held—different beliefs and assumptions about reality come from. The idea for From Hardship to Hope—Zoe and Ruby Blue’s story—emerged during the weighty years of the Covid-19 pandemic when many people’s daily patterns changed and our world shuddered on its axis.

From Hardship to Hope gives us an abundance of sorrow, joy, and truth. And a heaping amount of hope. Co-authors Adrian and Stueber have teamed up to create a powerful story that is as relevant as today’s headlines and as time-worn as all matters of the heart. Hope is their superpower.

—Doug Bradley, author, educator, veteran 

From Hardship to Hope is a reminder of what can happen to our hearts and lives when we are willing to engage with one another (and ourselves), honestly, authentically, and from a place of love. Stueber and Adrian move the reader from hardship to hope through the telling of four different love stories. Upon finishing this book, I was reminded of these words from 1 Corinthians: ‘And now these three remain, faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.’

—Linda Ketcham, Executive Director, Madison-area Urban Ministry (dba JustDane)