PRIZES to win! PROMOTIONS

Close Notification

Your cart does not contain any items

Hope on Wheels

A Memoir

LL O'Brien

$39.95   $34.26

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

QTY:

English
Christmas Lake Press
21 June 2025
What do you do when you're a teenager trapped in the middle of a large, dysfunctional family in a small, dying Oregon mill town and your whole life is thrust into chaos? What any rational person would do-escape, in any way you can.

For LL O'Brien, escape meant riding her bike across the country, spending three months learning about missionary work (while seeking the perfect tan) in southern Brazil, then cycling across Europe towards an epiphany at the Vatican that planted the seeds of faith and illuminated a path to liberation.

When LL O'Brien's father died suddenly in his forties-leaving his widow, nine children ranging in age from twenty-two to two, and a complicated legacy of dysfunction-her already fractured family was in danger of imploding. Inspired by the summer bicycling adventures of her high school theater teacher, her mother took six of the nine kids on a winding, 4,500-mile cross-country bike trip, starting in Oregon's Willamette Valley and ending in New York City. Along the way they discovered an inner strength and resolve that allowed them to start trusting and appreciating one another. Three years later, when four of the siblings spent a summer cycling through Europe facing ludicrous situations-such as losing a brother in Italy for two days-they began to love one another. These coming-of-age adventures gave the author renewed energy for whatever would come next, enabling her to leave her past behind and forge a future grounded in hope.

Entertaining at every turn, Hell Hope on Wheels is a roadmap for a resilient, fulfilling life.
By:  
Imprint:   Christmas Lake Press
Dimensions:   Height: 216mm,  Width: 140mm,  Spine: 25mm
Weight:   503g
ISBN:   9781960865274
ISBN 10:   1960865277
Pages:   438
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Reviews for Hope on Wheels: A Memoir

LL O'Brien's Hope on Wheels is one of the most beautiful memoirs I have ever read. Period. Equal measures honest, vulnerable, and self-aware, it is not so much a ""coming to faith"" story as it is about ""coming of age."" At the same time, O'Brien's consistently wrestling with, and sometimes against, the reality of a God of love is a connective thread that makes this book as inspirational as it is moving. Resilience, courage, and compassion that, together, move her through tremendous challenges-yes, ""hell"" is not too strong a word-to a place of hope form a story very much worth your time. I cannot recommend this book too highly. -The Rev. David J. Lose, PhD, Senior Pastor, Mount Olivet Lutheran Church, Former President, The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia This is my favorite kind of spiritual odyssey: faith, hope, and healing come slowly, in unexpected ways, usually through relationships and beauty. LL O'Brien has written a vivid travelogue with family drama and personal growth throughout. Reading this story, you will be amazed that O'Brien is a pastor today, but that is part of the journey, and it is well worth the ride. -Bishop Brenda Bos, Southwest California Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America


See Also