by
Jillian Haslam
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GENRE: Memoir
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BLURB:
A woman’s ascent from devastating poverty and childhood trauma to
international standing as a prominent advocate for the poor and helpless.
As
a young girl, Jillian Haslam saved a life. Herself tiny and aching from
malnutrition, she stood for hours at a tea shop, begging for a ladle of milk to
try and prevent her newborn sister from dying of starvation.
From
the slums of Calcutta to the executive floors of a global bank, A Voice out of
Poverty offers an unflinching look at one woman’s journey from destitution to
success.
Throughout,
Haslam demonstrates an inexhaustible drive to rise above adversity and find
beacons of positivity in impossible circumstances. But her rise doesn’t stop at
the top; she returns to her roots again and again to extend a hand to those
left in the impoverished communities that she so narrowly escaped.
British
by ancestry and born in India after its independence, Haslam and her family suffered
degradation and prejudice. They were forced to live on the streets, flee danger
in the middle of the night, and face persistent abuse and starvation.
This
treacherous environment is the backdrop of an unlikely story of resilience and
an unshakable family bond. From squalor and powerlessness, Haslam finds
countless moments of grace, community, gratitude, and love.
A
Voice out of Poverty is a raw and inspiring memoir that shows how beauty can be
found in improbable places, and how “success” is not just the act of making it
through. Rather, it is the act of reaching back to bring others with you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
A bristly, grey rat jutted its head through a wide crack in
the peeling stucco wall, its long tail draped behind and hidden. It squinted
its beady eyes and sniffed the air, as a light drizzle started to dampen the
ground.
A few feet away, an older homeless woman, sitting under a
precarious building canopy, shifted her eyes towards the rat, without moving
her head. A stray dog nestled next to her, one of three gathered snuggly around
her, bared its teeth, and growled at the rodent, without rising.
The woman swiveled her head in the rat’s direction and
shooed it away with a claw-like hand slicing the air. The rat withdrew,
vanishing inside the wall. The dog returned its head to rest on its paws and
closed its eyes.
The drizzle turned into a light rain.
My mother and I took in the rat scene side by side as we
ambled down the street. My eyes remained riveted on the homeless woman. I
wondered if she had a family or young children like me. Then, the noisy
“pop-pop” of a Vespa flew near my eyes and broke my concentration, causing me
to pull my head back abruptly. I gripped my mother’s hand as tightly as I
could.
The rain was now steady but not enough to flood the crowded
streets or inhibit the pace of the fast-moving foot and vehicle traffic. I
looked up to see an old man pulling a rickshaw coming towards us. I stared at
him. His emaciated body looked as if his skin could peel off in thin layers,
like a stale onion. He stared at me, sharing his single black tooth. I held my
stare.
The rickshaw puller veered off the line of his path, forcing
a dilapidated scooter that packed an entire family to swerve near us. The
scooter splashed mud onto my legs and dress, and I started to cry. My only
proper dress was drenched with filth. I now would have to undress to underclothes
while it got washed. My mother stopped and crouched in front of me. I didn’t
hide my disgust.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
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Jillian rose
through the ranks, and Bank of America appointed her president of its Charity
and Diversity Network in India, where she spearheaded charitable work in four
different cities. This led her to receive three philanthropic awards from Bank
of America: the Star Recognition award, the Service Excellence award, and The
Individual Achievement award.
In 2011, she
published the first version of her memoir, Indian. English, which chronicles
her life growing up amid dreadful poverty, abuse, and tragedy. The book sold
over 150,000 copies, mostly while she was on the speaking circuit. Her story
also incited interest from Hollywood and British film directors and producers,
leading to the development of a feature film.
Charitable
giving became Jillian’s life work. In 2012, she received the first runner up
award for The Asian Woman of the Year in the “Social and Humanitarian”
category. In early 2015, The Telegraph of Calcutta presented Jillian with the
True Legend award for her exceptional contribution to social and humanitarian
causes. In mid-2015, she was recognized as a finalist for the Role Model of the
Year award for her work delivering speeches in educational institutes across
the UK. In late 2016, she received an award for Excellence in Humanitarianism.
And, in 2017, she received her greatest accolade, the Mother Teresa Memorial
International Award.
Jillian became
a speaker in demand and is a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM). She has delivered
several TEDx talks, among other prestigious speaking engagements, on various
topics that flow from her life story. Jillian speaks on topics that include
entrepreneurialism, the power of the mind, and human resilience.
She has also
been featured on various TV networks, including Channel 5 and the BBC, and a
wide range of print media, including The Independent, The Pioneer, The Times,
The Telegraph, The Metro, Gulf News, and other major media outlets. Jillian’s
charitable work continues under the auspices of the Remedia Trust where she oversees
several separate charities: Ageing Smiles (for the elderly poor), Happy Hearts
(for children), Empowering Girls (for teaching various workable skills),
India’s Disabled (for building a mobile medical unit), E3 Growth (focused on
education, employment, and employability), and the Mother Teresa Project (for
women and single mothers).
Jillian
currently lives in London with her husband.
Connect with
her here:
Facebook: Indian English The Movie
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GIVEAWAY
a Rafflecopter giveaway4.5 stars
A Voice Out of Poverty by Jillian Haslam is a sobering yet ultimately inspirational memoir that details the author’s extremely humble beginnings and the factors that made her into the success and role model that she has become.
This is a distressing and eye-opening insight into the harshness of life in a poverty-stricken country combined with the reminder that we can be inordinately cruel to one another or we can rise above ourselves and learn to extend kindness in a multitude of ways.
There are a few areas that I would have liked to have had more clarity on, and those who are sensitive to mentions of abuse of all kinds should read with caution, but I am reminded of one of my favorite axioms…that we are who we are because of what we have experienced, and we can regret what has happened, but if it hadn’t, we wouldn’t be the person we are today.
The author is a very strong person, honed by a crucible of unimaginable experiences, and I think that every person who reads her saga cannot help but be changed for the better by learning from her example.
The following quotes from the book say it best…
“This book is about prejudice and the sadness and suffering it causes. But it is, above all, about resilience and finding the mental strength to get back up every time the rug of life is pulled from under your feet.”
“My parents repeatedly extolled the value of gratitude, that we should be grateful for everything we had, for life was a blessing, no matter how sad the conditions or how prevalent the abuse and daily suffering.”
A copy of this title was provided for review
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