Rachel Dowdell

Undaunted Rachel Dowdell

Cody Taylor is half-Hispanic, thirteen years old, and is being abused by his father. With friends, Dan and Buck, protecting him and even posing as his older cousins to social services, he's been coping with the abuse for nine years. But now that Dan is dead, things are getting complicated. Buck is getting tired of keeping secrets, his other friend Jazz continually gets him in trouble, and Cody is getting tired of being hurt. With the threat of social services constantly looming over his head, Cody is beginning to feel stuck. Until one day, the drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, and partying all catch up to him. He finds himself trapped in a situation that he can't get himself out of. When there's no family to help, who do you turn to? Will Cody finally stand up to his father? Will he find something to fill the void? Will he finally realize that he deserves something more?