The Little Breadwinner: life during the Salvadoran Civil War

 The Little Breadwinner is the newest book by activist Lucia Mann. It is a story of those who suffered during the Salvadoran Civil War which ravaged the Central American country from 1980 to 1992 and took the lives of approximately 75,000 Salvadorans. It is the story of Estrella Godwin Lozano, a little person, who suffers at the hands of her countrymen as well as the soldiers. As she struggles to survive, she meets various characters who fight for peace, justice, and a normal life including the Sandinistas. At its core, The Little Breadwinner is about finding hope and fight for survival amid uncertain times. Will Estrella survive the war? Will she be able to live a peaceful life?

I have read Ms. Mann’s books for years and they are powerful, emotional, and eye-opening to atrocities which occur around the world. The Little Breadwinner is not on par with her previous books. I appreciate her desire to bring the horrors of the Salvadoran Civil War to a wider audience; however, I did not feel the same emotional impact as I had with her previous books. There is just too much going on, too much back and forth in time, and a lot of exposition and commentary that the narrator interjects into the flow of the story that it feels choppy. Overall, The Little Breadwinner is a book that has introduced me to the Salvadoran Civil War, unfortunately, it does not have the emotional impact that I expect from a Lucia Mann book.

 

The Little Breadwinner is available in paperback and eBook.

Addicted to Hate: a heartbreaking story of parental abuse

Addicted to Hate by Lucia Mann is the story of one woman’s life of tragedy. Suffering abuse at every state, Madeline “Maddie” Clark just wanted peace, love and a life. She is abandoned in Milan, Italy after being forced from her home in Africa. She meets David Blakely who promises her a wonderful life in England but when she gets there, her prince charming turns into an ugly villain. Repeatedly raped and abused, Madeline has few joys in her life. When she discovers she’s pregnant despite a tubal ligation, she is ecstatic. But her dreams of being a mother is soon dashed when her children turn evil and verbally abuse their mother. Occasionally, angels of mercy give Maddie hope and happiness in the bleakness which had become her life. Will Maddie ever find true happiness? Will she escape the abuse from those she loves?

Addicted to Hate is a different book to read. A powerful read but not easy as the horrors Maddie suffers are real and occurs in the world around us. The reader experiences the abuses and pain as Maddie suffers first at the hands of men and then at the hands of her children. Her children whom she had shown nothing but love and support. Parental and elder abuse is on the rise. The statistics are heartbreaking. According to my research, 1 in 10 Americans 60 or older and 1 in 6 individuals 60+ will suffer some form of parental or elder abuse. Ms. Mann brings to light a growing trend which needs a harsh look at what individuals are doing to a growing population. Like others books I have read and reviewed for Ms. Mann, the subject matter is hard to think about, but it needs to be addressed. I applaud Ms. Mann for her dedication to bringing such realities to light. I highly recommend Addicted to Hate for its attention to details and its truthfulness. Exploitation and abuse of our elderly needs to stop because one day it could be us.

Addicted to Hate

is available on Amazon

in paperback and eBook

If you know or suspect someone is being abuse, please contact your local authorities or hotline and report it. Abuse of any kind should not be tolerated. Please reach out and help.

The Sicilian Veil of Shame: the heartbreaking sequel to Rented Silence

The Sicilian Veil of Shame is the second book in the African Freedom Series by Lucia Mann. It is a continuation of the story readers were introduced in Rented Silence. In this book, Brianna follows her maternal grandmother’s story from Sicilia to a Nazi concentration camp to Africa back to Sicilia. The story tells the story of Maria Teresa Genovese, the only daughter of mafia boss of the powerful Genovese family. Her life was changed forever on the night of her 10^th birthday when she was kidnapped from her bedroom. As the ransom plans don’t go as plan, Maria is soon sold to a brothel where she is soon sent to Auschwitz. She experiences the horrors of the infamous camp and set free when the camp is liberated on January 27, 1945. Brianna hears her grandmother’s story while trying to piece together the strange events which are occurring in the house. Can she find the secret that Maria is finding? Will she be able to find peace after learning her family’s torrid history?

The Sicilian Veil of Shame is a horrific story of the atrocities that human beings imposed of those they think are less than them. I didn’t find the book as emotional or horrifying as Rented Silence; however, it was still heartbreaking to read about a story of Maria’s trials. The things people have done and will do to others is beyond comprehension. The ending is shocking and leads to a possible third book to explore more of atrocities which happened around the world and still happen today. I highly recommend The Sicilian Veil of Shame.

The Sicilian Veil of Shame

Is available on Amazon

In paperback for $17.95

Rented Silence: a harsh look into a growing problem in today's world

Rented Silence by Lucia Mann is the first book in the African Freedom series. It details the story of post-WWII Africa through the eyes of the innocent and the evil as the painful secrets of this dark time is revealed. From 1945 to recent past, Rented Silence speaks boldly about a growing problem.

The story is told in two parts. Part 1 opens in 1945, Anele, a 27 year old slave at the Hallworthy Manor, has been violated by her owner, the evil and malicious Lord Alan Hallworthy. One Christmas morning, she has had enough and she makes her escape. As she makes her way back home to the Tswanas Kraal, she discovers a newborn baby girl buried alive and gasping for air. She names her Shiya, the forsaken one. When she arrives at her village, the presence of a white child with a African woman causes an uproar which will soon in disaster. Anele and Shiya are separated and live their lives wondering what happened to the other? Shiya is renamed Lynette and is sent a path to silence. Part 2 opens in 1998 as Lynette has made a career of taking people out of brutal situations and bringing them to a life of safety. After she receives a devastating diagnosis, she reclaims her name and becomes Shiya again. She returns to her homeland for justice and revenge. She must share her secret past with her daughter as she tries to reclaim the life that was brutally taken from her.

Rented Silence is a hard book to read but eye-opening. It depicts the horrors in details that is heartbreaking and gut wrenching. The injustice that the characters endure at the hands of the powerful is indescribable. I can’t reveal too much of the story because it will give away major plot points. However, at the end of the book, the Ms. Mann includes a list of “55 ghastly, very sobbing yet little known facts about modern slavery/human tracking” and they are ghastly. To think of millions of adults and children who are sold into slavery through human tracking rings is heartbreaking. Ms. Mann’s goal in writing Rented Silence is to give a voice “to those who have suffered and are suffering brutalities and captivity.” She does an amazing job bringing a voice to the many suffering in silence. I highly recommend Rented Silence as an eye-opening story to a very real problem in today’s world.

Rented Silence is available on Amazon

in paperback for $17.95 and on Kindle for $9.95

For more information about human tracking, please visit:

www.ReportModernDaySlavery.org