Where hope prevails

By Janette Oke, Laurel Oke Logan

Subjects: Canada, fiction, Fiction, romance, western, Religion in the public schools, Teaching, Fiction, Coal mines and mining, Women pioneers, Fiction, romance, historical, general, Marriage proposals, Teachers, Philosophy

Description: When Beth Thatcher returns to Coal Valley, she has much to be excited about. She anticipates Jarrick's proposal of marriage and perhaps a spring wedding. The mine is expanding, and there are more schoolchildren than ever. The town's rapid growth means more students. A second teacher is assigned, and Beth finds herself going head-to-head with a very different philosophy of education -- one that dismisses religion and rejects God. Fearful for the children who sit under the influence of Robert Harris Hughes, Beth struggles to know how to respond.