It’s a modern-day David and Goliath story. A young, African-American train conductor named David Hadden was terminated from employment by a corporate giant, UTDC, because of the color of his skin. Hadden, however, did not accept this injustice without a fight, as his former bosses must have imagined he would. Undeterred by daunting odds, Hadden, without monetary resources or a lawyer to represent him, pursued a discrimination lawsuit against UTDC. Writing motions himself, longhand on school paper, while studying case law on his own and in courses at the local community college, he was able to persevere through a four-year court battle—and, finally, against the odds, to win! Hadden’s new memoir, Fighting for a Life: The Great Awakening, documents this epic struggle. Hadden himself, though, is quick to acknowledge that he succeeded not so much by his own efforts as through the grace of an invisible ally who more than evened the odds: God.

Fighting for a Life is as much a book about faith as it is about justice. Because of the circumstances of his firing, Hadden had to fall back on his faith, and in doing so found extraordinary resources within himself. Not only did he fight in the courtroom but also quite literally in the boxing ring. Hadden became a pro boxer and quickly demonstrated talent and tenacity in the sport. Although even his own family doubted his ability to win both the court case and in the ring, Hadden proved the naysayers wrong by pushing the case forward and by winning a string of fights, culminating in a middle-weight Golden Glove championship in 1991 and a remarkable victory in the judicial system. Throughout Fighting for a Life, the reader senses a powerful analogy between the courtroom and the boxing arena—both, for Hadden, become metaphors for the larger struggle of advancing against adversity through this earthly life.

Taking inspiration from the Bible and from the speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., Hadden simply refused to back down without seeing whether God would deliver justice. As a testimonial, Fighting for a Life bears witness to others that a life of faith is truly the path toward righteousness. An inspiring chronicle of a modern day David who took down a Goliath of a corporation, it will provide hope to oppressed people everywhere and help strengthen their faith in both God and their own potential.