What if the hero of your fantasies was actually the whining, fearful, manipulated person within you? We live in a world of dualism and where there is darkness, there is a corresponding reality of light. Where there is evil, a seed of goodness can be sown. This book shows readers how to sow seeds of goodness and how to make them grow to powerful proportions. Author Yeral E. Ogando’s Awareness: The Hero Within is an inspirational book that features the prototype of a spiritual hero. In this inspiring book, readers will come into contact with ordinary characters who struggle to rise above mediocrity and conquer their inner freedom through spiritual warfare. Most interesting is how an individual’s contact with and surrender to the Divine can usher them into a new perspective, invigorating and unveiling hidden layers of strength. This is a book that will teach readers how to let God in and allow Him to be The Hero Within.

The book is written in a deceptively simple style and the language is very accessible. The title can be misleading, making readers think they would be reading sermons or some proven tips on how to awaken the hero within them. However, the author uses the art of storytelling to usher readers into a spiritual realm of wisdom that can transform their lives. Ogando’s characters are compelling and the book a page-turner. Most readers will certainly identify with the heroes, especially Anthony and Becky, who are all too ordinary but imbued with an inner light whose strength will illuminate the lives of many. Awareness: The Hero Within is an inspirational book that is unique in its style and excellently executed.

Awareness: The Hero Within by Yeral E. Ogando is the story of finding yourself and inadvertently finding God. The goodness inside us never dies, we just choose to ignore it. We let worldly goods and stature distract us from what is important. Although this novel is a “self-help” book, it is performing a dual function of being a self-help book while keeping you entertained with a plot and story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The story follows a man’s journey to find himself, his faith, his courage, his belief, and God when times are hard.

Anthony, the protagonist, encounters God and his real journey begins. His path is very difficult, especially because he has the power to make changes. With demons (figurative and literal) stopping him, only his belief and faith in God can help him achieve his goals. Times are hard and his enemies are getting stronger every single day. If he loses faith in God, he will lose much more than just his life. But can he keep faith when the enemy surrounds him with no way out?

This is Christian fiction at its best. You will not find any other novel that has this level of beautiful and sometimes horrifying imagery. Ogando wrote some pretty terrific descriptions, especially of demons. I literally had goose bumps. I found Anthony the perfect protagonist. He was strong, vigilant and very, very human. He was brave, but he was not afraid of being scared. I liked that in him and I loved this novel.

Awareness: The Hero Within by Yeral E. Ogando is a Christian fiction story about the spiritual warfare of fighting demons. Because we cannot see the fighting going on all around us, sometimes we forget (or don’t believe) in the spiritual wars taking place every day. Anthony has an okay life. He has a wife and a child that he loves. But he feels like something is missing, as if perhaps he gave up on his life too soon and settled down before he was ready. Anthony’s sister tries to talk Anthony and his family into attending church, but Anthony doesn’t think he is ready for that. Until an event happens that changes his life forever. Walk besides Awareness’ heroes to discover the gifts of Revelation. Power and inspiration can be achieved through the spirit and are used by the story’s heroes…all with God’s help.

Awareness: The Hero Within is a unique story about spiritual warfare. This isn’t a topic you often see in fiction, so I was impressed with the way Yeral E. Ogando handled this topic. I liked how some of the characters were overtly Christian and others were not (especially at the beginning of the story). To me, this felt really balanced, and I thought that was a smart move on Ogando’s part. That way readers of different levels of belief can read and enjoy this story because there is a character who is like them in the story. Then, as the story picks up pace, the characters grow and change.

Awareness: The Hero Within is a Christian fiction story by Yeral E. Ogando. Imagine the power that Christians actually possess. Many people forget about the spiritual battles taking place all around us, in the form of spiritual warfare through prayer and angels and demons. But in Ogando’s book, he fictionalizes this warfare and brings it to life, pitting demons against characters and vice versa. This is a Christian’s version of a superhero story with a character with incredible powers. But in this case, the powers come from God. Only those who believe will be blessed with these powers. Sometimes it is hard to answer God’s calling, because there are challenges every day that Ogando’s characters face. But if the characters can stay true to God’s word, then all of the blessings promised will be bestowed upon them.

At first glance, Awareness: The Hero Within is written for a specific audience. But that doesn’t mean non-Christians or believers of other faiths cannot enjoy this story. I liked how Ogando created Anthony as a non-believer and had his sister try to convert him into going to church. This is definitely something that most readers will be able to relate to. I thought it was a really clever way for Ogando to connect with his audience. And the idea of spiritual warfare is really awesome! This is a unique concept that I’ve never seen done before. There isn’t much fiction written about this topic, so I was pleased to see the creative way Ogando presented it to an audience.