CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 5, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Discarded, neglected and abused -- these words describe the feelings of mistreated and minimized women across the globe. In her novel, Why I Kept My Past a Secret (now available through 1stBooks), author Teresa Mason Browning explores the psychological damage one woman suffers from a life of neglect and abuse.
Why I Kept My Past a Secret is the story of a black woman named Ronda whose life is a constant struggle. With five children and three being fathered by three different men and a boyfriend who seems to have no intention of marrying her, Ronda knows she must make a change. However, change is not easy for Ronda. She attempts to grapple with the psychological damage she has experienced throughout her life. As a child, her parents were indifferent and Ronda split her time between a foster home and her grandmother's home. When she was 16, she is raped and becomes pregnant. Later in life, she endures physical abuse and experiences a painful divorce.
Still, there are women on her side. Her friend Page is a down-to-earth, animated person who is always willing to lend her advice on relationships and family whenever Ronda is in need. There is also Lawanda, her next-door neighbor who only wants the best for Ronda and does whatever she can to help her survive. Finally, Ronda has Granny, a loving, spiritual lady who wants her granddaughter to surrender to Christ and is the only real love Ronda has known.
Holding nothing back, Why I Kept My Past a Secret is a realistic account of the trials Ronda must face and provides a message of hope for a better future.
"It is a novel that reaches thousands of women, not just black women, but women in general who have been abused at some point in their life," Browning says.
Browning discovered a love for writing at an early age and began to keep a journal at 13. Why I Kept My Past a Secret is her first novel. She is currently working on her second novel, Now That the Secrets are Out, which she hopes to complete in October 2003.
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