Breaking My Silence: Surviving and Healing Myself After Years of Secrecy, Shame, and Abuse by Maya Hope Kitwana

A special thank you to the author, Maya Hope Kitwana, for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I had the honour of meeting Maya and spending over an hour talking with her.  She is an incredibly beautiful soul with wisdom and grace beyond her years.  Maya radiates kindness.  It was a privilege to be asked to read and review her book.

For over thirty years, Maya Hope Kitwana has kept the secrets of her abusers.  In this memoir, she exposes her truth, showing the strength and resilience that was necessary in order to cope with the emotional, physical, and sexual abuse she endured at the hands of those that were supposed to love and care for her.

This story is graphic and not for the faint of heart—it is a glimpse into Maya's journey of survival from rape, incest, and abandonment.  Kitwana's book reads like a diary and there are times where the narrative is succinct and times where it rambles, but it is always her voice that guides the story (she wrote the book to heal herself).  The incredibly sad fact that struck me when I was reading this is that there are a world full of Mayas.  I found it astounding that this woman persevered in the face of extreme adversity and that she never gave up on herself.  My only criticism is the ending felt rushed and abrupt, I wanted more because I felt that she really hit her stride and I liked the confident voice that developed over the story.  I encourage especially those that are the victims and survivors of abuse to pick up this book.