Table of Contents
Prologue: Secrets Are Sown and Grown 01
Part 1 Crossing Borders.
1 River Reveries 05
2 Exploring My Small World 09
3 A Motherless Child 17
4 Losing My Virginity … Nearly Finding Myself 33
5 London's Calling 39
6 A Brutal Encounter 49
Part 2 Breaking Rules
7 An African Girl Adrift in America 55
8 Death Pays a Visit, but I Can't 71
9 Meeting an Unpredictable Prince 75
10 Reasons to Tie the Knot 83
11 A Temporary Encounter with Paradise 85
12 The Fruits of Paradise 97
13 The Happiest Day of My Life 101
14 A Baby Works Magic 105
15 Bad Behavior Comes to Call 107
16 Lightning Strikes Twice 109
17 The Happiest Day of My Life … Part 2 117
18 Minor Children and Major Changes 119
19 A Black-and-White Issue 123
20 Saving Others, but Not Myself 125
21 The Past Crosses My Path 127
22 His Ex Marks the Spot 131
23 Inside Out 135
24 Secrets Are Spilled 141
25 Hollywood Gives Me a Sign 147
Part 3 Gaining Pride
26 Gearing Up to Say Good-bye 157
27 At Last, My First Time 161
28 Katy Perry Has Nothing on Me 167
29 His Fists Rain Down on Me 173
30 A Chilling Knock 181
31 My Birthplace Is My Crime 189
32 Hard Lessons Learned 197
33 Freed, But Am I Free? 211
34 Discovering the Real Value of Life 217
35 A Day of Reckoning Arrives 225
36 Forgetting, Forgiving, and Forming a Future 229
37 New Horizons and Different Directions 235
38 On a Righteous Path for My Rights 239
39 The Battle Rages On 243
Epilogue: My Heart and Courage Grow 247
Acknowledgments 249
Suggested Reading 253
About the Author 255
