Growing up on the Native American reservation, Alexander is a horse with attributing human characteristics, who details his life on the ranch. He began his journey by opening his eyes to all the animals on the ranch which included an eagle. Alexander has incredible insight as he discovers that the fence that marked off the property, was built to keep him in. While on a run, he tried to find an opening in the fence but could not find one. As he desperately searched for an opening, he quickly realized that the fence line was preventing him from discovering his full potential. He acknowledged that the fence line represented a limitation that was placed upon him. It was in that moment that he wanted to find out what was outside the fences while discovering his destiny. For Alexander, he learned valuable life lessons that taught him to be resilient and overcome his adversity in a short amount of time. His life journey is filled with an array of emotions as he develops effective coping mechanisms during his childhood. He gives hope to children who have grown up with adversity, that they can become what they want by hard work, determination, and a positive mindset. Alexander: The Great War Horse is a powerful and insightful story to help children become self-aware of their circumstance while giving them insight that they hold the key to their destiny in life. At the end of the book, he provides children a place to write their own story, this process helps them navigate their life in a narrative format.
About the Author: Wileen M. Becker is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and is a United States Army retiree. She served in the Military Police Corps with two combat tours to Iraq and was a Drill Sergeant at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. She graduated from Columbia College with a BA degree in Psychology and from Webster University with a MA degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She is a gold member of SALUTE (Veteran's National Honor Society), a member of the American Counseling Association (ACA), a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), and an associate member of the American Psychological Association (APA). She created The Graduate Warriors, to develop solutions for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder that affects the military and civilians. Laura L. Matthew attended Tennessee Temple University with a major in Christian Education. She has forty years of teaching experience as an elementary and secondary educator. She is a member of the Mid-American Association of Christian Schools (MAACS). She is a wife and mother of four children, and fourteen grandchildren.