Wanna Go. Wanna Stay: My Journey in a Season of Abuse

by Maria Scott

Overview

Dive into the gripping memoir, Wanna Go. Wanna Stay, where Maria takes you on a heart-wrenching journey of love entangled in the need to break free. From the picturesque landscapes of Ohio to the vibrant backdrop of Atlanta, Maria's life tumbles from an exciting romance with Mark into a nightmare of abuse and despair.

 

Captivating from the first page, Maria's story unfolds as she battles the torment of an abusive relationship, seeking solace from a church minister who gives her the mystifying advice to tie the knot to quell Mark's jealousy. The emotional roller coaster intensifies as Maria escapes to Ohio, only to be lured back by Mark's promises of change.

 

In Wanna Go. Wanna Stay, Maria's tale is both a powerful testament to the strength of her faith and a poignant reminder that love should never come at the cost of one's well-being. Join Maria in her pursuit of liberation, as she navigates the tumultuous path between escape and the desire for a love that truly cares.

 

194 pages

 

Product Details

BN ID:	2940163571970
Publisher:	Phoenix Enix Press
Publication date:	06/15/2018
Sold by:	Draft2Digital
Format:	eBook
File size:	556 KB

About the Author

Maria Jordan Scott was so anxious to greet the world that she was born on a hospital elevator in Columbus, Ohio. She and her younger brother became PK's (Pastor's Kids) when her father founded a church in her hometown. Maria attended Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee for three years, then earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Computer and Information Science from The Ohio State University. She is a retired IT manager. Maria absolutely loves being the parent of 3 grown children, a daughter-in-love, a son-in-love and a beautiful granddaughter. She calls herself a "genealogy nut", because she has traveled the U.S. (and stalked the web) in search of family information. Maria volunteers with several organizations and is active in her church. She also enjoys baking anything sweet, making homemade ice cream, and reading. To find out more about Maria and her current projects, visit http: //www.mariajscott.com.

Editorial Reviews

2019-01-22

A debut memoir that explores a young woman's time in an abusive relationship.

In early 1970s Atlanta, Scott was just beginning a career as a computer programmer after obtaining a degree in computer science: "Rare for anyone in the late 1960s—more rare for females back then, and especially rare for a black female," she notes. Between writing computer code and navigating a new city, a lonely Scott met and fell in love with Mark, a handsome, passionate African-American man with strong convictions and opinions. He seemed like the perfect boyfriend—until, she says, he struck her in a moment of jealous rage, leaving her with a bruise on her face. The author, a self-reliant woman, made no excuses for his behavior and immediately distanced herself from him and sought counseling. However, the primary advice that she received from her counselor was to marry Mark, in order to quell his jealous outbursts—and she followed that advice: "My desire to get married blocked out any wisdom that I should have had," she says. Not long into the marriage, she writes, Mark's paranoia returned. She says that he interpreted calls that she received from work and even pieces of cigarette paper on the floor as evidence of Scott's alleged lovers, and that he attacked her with increasing violence. Scott relates instances of abuse with forceful prose: "He rammed me. With his fist. In my face." The short, brutal sentences seem to come out of nowhere, just as she says Mark's rage did. She also excels at re-creating the anxiety of trying to escape such a situation; she offers deeply affecting accounts of her hesitation while crossing a parking lot and of waiting in an airport while trying to get away from Mark. Scott focuses entirely on this relationship throughout the book, so she misses many opportunities to develop the story of her earlier life. The resulting memoir, however, offers an important analysis of her frame of mind during a difficult time. At one point, for instance, she says that she successfully escaped Mark, but later returned. Overall, she provides a firsthand account of how an extraordinary, capable person can still be manipulated by another.

A frank remembrance that tells of how the author found the strength to free herself from a dangerous situation.

Kirkus Reviews