Local Author Ricky Mathews releases book inspired by Katrina’s lasting lessons
GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV)- As South Mississippians reflected on the 21st anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall over the weekend, one local author is turning lessons from the storm into a message of hope.
Ricky Mathews celebrated the launch of his first book, ‘Finding Hope,’ with a community gathering at the Great Southern Club in Downtown Gulfport.
The book reflects on lessons shaped by Hurricane Katrina and the experiences that followed.
It offers 25 lifelines aimed at helping people navigate life’s challenges and find hope. “This is so exciting! The seed for the book was Hurricane Katrina, but the opportunity to write about other people and find out what they did to find hope in their lives. Over 30 of the people I wrote about in the book are actually here tonight, and this is kind of a celebration of hope. Hope isn’t something you just find, it’s something you fight for, then you pass it forward. There’s a whole mission behind this book about passing hope forward, and hopefully people will give it to someone in need. There’s a strong message in this book about volunteerism and giving back to the community. I hope it inspires people to not only find hope, but to pass hope forward.”
Mathew says the lessons of Katrina still resonate today with each lifeline offering readers a way to find hope and move forward.
