On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake struck the east coast of Japan and forever changed the lives of thousands of people, challenging their will, their strength, and their perseverance. In Light that Will Overcome the Wave, Kristina Culley-Snyder explores the importance of hope through the fictional experiences of thirteen-year-old Ryota Kiritani, whose life was forever changed when his home and family were destroyed on that fateful spring day in 2011. Where do you find hope when you lose everything you love? How can you move forward when everything around you crumbles? A child should never have to ask themselves such questions, yet, in the face of unimaginable loss, Ryota finds himself doing just that.