Taking back my Soul

Taking back my soul

Traditions are not always positive and religious requirements can be detrimental to the person that has to follow the rules. Young girls in Palestine in this case are required to marry the person chosen for her. At 16 Mia is sold to a man named Fayed and what she relates will give you chills, make you fear for her life but first the history of her family. How do you create a life for someone, your own child without any thought to her happiness or safety.

Born in Palestine and married later to a violent and abuse man, we meet her and Fayed for the first time together and at that moment you realize her fate is sealed and not in a good way. How can her parents do that to her? Her own family, sisters and brothers no longer in her life. She tells a story about being treated against her will to his rapes, beatings and berating. Her voice, understand her nightmare and realize that she rises to the top.

Her world took on many horrific moments as you read each chapter and visualize the demonic and abusive treatment inflicted on her both physically and mentally. How long before she rises up and leaves?
Her mother abuses her, accused her of cheating on that monster when she never did. Her children lived in terror and fear of this man every minute of every day. Her only respite was three months in America with her family who later turned on her.

How do you treat your daughter and sister with venom? How do you allow this man to abuse her? Why can’t she find freedom? When she finally asks for help and a police officer comes to her aid her struggles would continue but in a different way.

Every chapter reflects on what she feels, how he abused her and the indignities that he thought she deserved. When her son asked for help in math how dare he call him names. Even when she finally leaves she fears for her life and hopes he will finally get the message. But will he?
Getting into a safe house, adhering to more rules, then getting a social worker and learning more English. Jobs that were meager but kept her afloat, bosses that were just a bad as her husband, and one man that almost took it all away: JOE. Naïve and hoping for a real relationship and having his child, how does this man and his mother take her away. When she finally realizes her strengths, moving so often from place to place and at one point living in a tent, hoping and praying to God for the power inside of her to survive, miracles happen and she finally gets the help she needs and learns English, goes to school, graduates with several degrees and her children are amazing. Each supporting her on their own way and showing her the respect she so rightly deserves. Unfortunately her family denies her existence but one sister is there for her and maybe some day she will seek freedom too.

The rules in the safe house were not easy to follow, After the safe house a small apartments with three bedrooms and living room and one bathroom and the social worker with social services helped with her expenses. Her homes were bigger when married to that monster but without him the size of the home did not matter just the safety of her and her children. In the end unfortunately after withstanding so many moves, changes and more her ex-husband moved back overseas and the count could not force him to pay child support which eh owed her and the children. He married another girls and he was working for her oldest brother and how dare he want her to become a second wife. I pity the new one.

Naila her sister is in touch with her and hopefully will find her way to America too. With her own strength and her survival skills Mia has accomplished much of her goals on her list:
She did further her English skills.

She can now decorate her own apartments the ways she wants.

She is becoming independent  financially and can now be her own person and did finish college. You need to read the book to learn the rest. She has a great job and when you read pages 221-222 you will learn about her children and you can see their faces and realize what a marvelous mother she is and how she sacrificed so much for all of them.

The final ending and the entire memoir will bring tears to your eyes, anger within your heart and hope for all those that have had the same journey as Mia. “ Today is the first day of my life,” she writes at the end. You are just beginning, never give up, your title says it all: Taking back my soul and you did. He deserves to lose that and more.

Heartfelt, heartbreaking, hopeful, strong minded and never giving up, Mia Odeh is more than someone to be admired she is someone to be proud of herself and her accomplishments are you hear her story told in her own words: NEVER GIVE UP! YOU WILL SURVIVE and you did.

Fran Lewis just reviews