Welcome to my eight-part blog series about the main themes in At Liberty To Live. You may have read my previous blog series on the themes of Atlantic Split, so now it’s the turn of book 2. Find the links to the previous blogs at the bottom of this blog post. There will be some crossover between the two books. This week I’ll be discussing theme seven: Making a Difference. Warning: This blog contains spoilers.

Blog 1 – New Beginnings

Blog 2 – Inner Strength

Blog 3 – Following Your Passion

Blog 4 – Rushing in too quickly

Blog 5 – Feminism

Blog 6 – Self Discovery

We lead on nicely from the theme of self discovery into the theme of making a difference. That’s because Luke’s discovery was that he could and should make a difference to the people he encounters. It’s a message the follows through the whole of The Luke Bright Series, but I think really comes to a head in At Liberty To Live. Luke Bright is meant to make a difference – and he’s damn good at it. 

On his journey through At Liberty To Live, he makes a difference to his two friends, James and Steve. To their lives throughout – especially Steve. He makes a difference to the lives of the people he meets at Donatello’s diner, and helps them to not only sort out their business, but to become the best versions of themselves. He still holds the belief that he can make a difference to the wider world, and fix the Atlantic Split, but it comes by starting small. He can see, and he knows, this is the sort of thing he wants to do with his life, which is why at the end of the book, he has a much clearer picture of who he wants to be.

I believe in At Liberty To Live, the growth journey Luke undertakes is so strong and key to the rest of the series. It’s where we see the Luke we met in Atlantic Split, who was still a kid that didn’t know much about the world, become a man who was able to help those around him. He became someone people admired and respected. It’s the book where he grows up, and everyone can see it. That’s how they know he’s ready for what he’s going to do in book 3. It’s a big step, and he wouldn’t have been ready if he was still the same person at the start of the series, but now, he’s changed. And of course change was natural – he’s been through a massive life-altering event. He’s never going to be the same person he used to be.

So, whilst I know that making a difference may be easier to say than do, it doesn’t have to be a big thing. Whether it be bringing two nations together or showing a friend a better direction, it all counts. I want people to realise that it’s not the scale of what you do, it’s doing something in the first place. It all matters, and if making a difference to others is what drives you, then you must believe in yourself to do it. It may be a long-winded task, but if it’s something you want, then it’ll be worth the wait. That’s what I aim to do with my book series – make a difference to others. Show others a way the world could but shouldn’t be, and why it’s vital we fight so our own world doesn’t follow the same path. I want young people, and all people, to realise that they can have an effect. A real effect that can cause a ripple within a wider ocean. After all, that’s all you need sometimes.

I end this blog with a quote from At Liberty To Live about making a difference. It’s a defining moment where Luke realises what he’s done and what he has to do next.

“I wanted to go somewhere to make a difference, because even though I hadn’t managed to change the world yet, I’d certainly done something at Donatello’s.” – Luke Bright, At Liberty To Live

Thank you for reading this blog, and I’ll be back next week with the final theme blog of At Liberty To Live. This will be on the previous themes that follow through from Atlantic Split, which you can read up on below. See how things have changed between book 1 and book 2 next Thursday! 

1. Prejudice
2. Growing Up
3. Optimism
4. Courage
5. Friendship
6. Family
7. Bullying
8. Morality

Atlantic Split and At Liberty To Live, the first and second books in The Luke Bright Series are available to purchase NOW! Please follow me on my blog and my social media links below, and use the links on my website to purchase a copy of each if you have not done so. Don’t forget to leave a review! Thank you once again for taking the time to read this blog post.

N.A.K.