Certain Expectations

Karen Mueller Bryson
Lulu Press (2005)
ISBN 1411649613
Reviewed by Rhiannon Fionn for Reader Views (1/06)

This play has a place in every Junior High and High School

In her play, “Certain Expectations,” Dr. Karen Mueller Bryson paints a picture of faith and hope. She allows her characters, who are based on real-life interviews with McNair Program graduates from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, to celebrate their success stories while inspiring others to reach for their own stars—no matter what.

The scene is a simple one: a stage, a group of graduates, and a big screen that flashes topics for the group to discuss. Bryson takes away all distractions so that her message—the message of the McNair Program graduates—can be conveyed crisply. The tone is conversational. Any one of the characters could tell you the same story while sitting across from you at a coffee shop. Combining the stories of several characters, however, from a variety of backgrounds creates an opportunity for a profound realization: You succeed regardless of what you have been told or where you come from.

As I read “Certain Expectations” my first thought was that I wanted to send a copy to all of the children in my life. My next thought that this thin little book is bigger than that; this play should be staged in every school for all children to be inspired to work hard, never give up, and to believe in themselves.

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