The courage to succeed

• Title: Miracles in the Valley: Out of Darkness into Marvelous Light
  
• Author: Jennifer Keane Dawes

IN A painfully revealing narrative that could have otherwise been titled 'The Courage to Succeed', Dr Jennifer Keane Dawes narrates a sobering autobiographical story of her struggle as a new divorcee with a three-year-old son going to the United States to pursue graduate course work at Howard University.

She laments that she "had $96, a suitcase of clothes and my three-year-old son," but what she leaves out is that she also had the tenacity to persist in the face of difficulties that might have sent some people off the deep end.

Her book is called Miracles in the Valley: Out of Darkness into Marvelous Light.

Humble narrative

It reads as a humble narrative, unveiling what must have been some of the bleakest moments of her life as a woman overwhelmed with debt, living homeless with a child, and trying to survive in a capitalist-driven economy. But her roots in Jamaica prepared her well. She was no foreigner to struggle. She also understood that, even when going through struggles, she needed to hold her head up high. Keane Dawes explains that she came to rely heavily on God. Her faith lifted her beyond human frailties and vulnerabilities and allowed her to succeed despite the challenges.

In 13 chapters, Jennifer Keane Dawes, a professor and dean of graduate studies at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, pours out her soul. Although self-therapeutic, this book was written as a testimony of faith and perseverance with the hope that it might inspire others to pursue their dreams, no matter the obstacles. By the time you complete reading this book, you will feel you know her personally. It is as though she invited you into her home for a glass of sorrel tea and intimately shared her stories.

Because of how vividly descriptive her account is, her experiences are unforgettable. From the time she bought her first car - a green, Russian Lada motorcar - to the moment her husband spilled the words, "I am leaving", to the realisation that the very house she loved was being auctioned, Keane Dawes' story keeps you intrigued. By the time you are finished reading, you will be drenched with emotions. You will feel sadness, joy, anticipation, excitement, pride, love and an energetic ambition, an unstoppable drive to overcome.

A former news reporter, entrepreneur, and public relations manager, Keane Dawes offers an uplifting, lucid, insightful, and provocative memoir, which explores how the human spirit can be sullied and not defeated, dissected but made whole, and torn, yet not destroyed. In the tradition of Maya Angelou's Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now, Keane Dawes approaches the canvas of her life with broad, audacious strokes, leaving no crevice unattended.

What we are treated to is a wonderful portrait of a God-fearing woman who earned her Masters and Doctoral degrees in a combined three years, and who raised a beautiful son, Thomas. Thomas is entering law school at North Carolina Central University this fall. Parenting does not come with a manual. There is no perfect life. We all struggle with various life dilemmas. Even still, we all have unique contributions to the world in which we live, because we are endowed with a God-given purpose. What is clear with this compelling narrative is that we can try to do it alone or we can do what Keane Dawes did.

You can take control of your life, strengthen your faith and pursue excellence with every morsel of your body. This book is a must-read. It should be on every shelf in every store and every home in Jamaica. We should read it then pass it on to our children. After all, they too must be equipped with the courage to succeed!

Written by Ronald L. Jackson II, author of Scripting the Black Masculine Body and professor of African American Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.