Rhonda Adelaide

Rhonda Adelaide teaches English at Odyssey Middle School. She is a serious, plain-spoken woman who tells students the truth even when it stings, and she would rather correct a flattering mistake than let a pupil believe it. She treats moral questions as part of her job, warning her class that rumors are a special kind of poison and that staying silent can be as bad as telling the lie. Her convictions stop short of faith, however. She does not believe in God, and she admits she can find no hope in the face of death. Grief over her dying brother has left her bitter toward believers, and she is no friend of Whit or his shop, Whit's End. Her frank unbelief leaves a deep mark on students such as Olivia Parker.