I Survived You Can Too

Channelle Lewis's life has never been a fairy tale. From early childhood, she has had to struggle just to survive. Despite the obstacles that her childhood produced, she was determined to make something out of her life. But achieving success hasn't come easy for her. After suffering years of sexual abuse as a child, she later became a victim of domestic violence. She spent years struggling to break completely free from her abuser and open her eyes regarding her abusive relationship with him. For most, the barriers that Channelle faced in her life would be enough to make them give up and not fi ght back for a better life. But, despite her life challenges, she has gone on not only to survive, but also to excel in her life. This story is not just a great read, but also a dramatic yet intimate look into the life of a woman with a troubled past who encountered almost insurmountable odds. It's a story that will inspire, empower, and motivate you to live your life to its fullest no matter what the obstacles are!

FINALIST FOR THE 2023 BOOKER PRIZE. LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION. Finalist for the 2023 Pen/Faulkner Award and the Southern Book Award. Nominated for the 2022 National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize, the 2023 Pen/Jean Stein Open Book Award, the 2023 Pen/Bingham Prize, the 2022 Story Prize, the 2023 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, the 2023 Brooklyn Library Prize, and the 2023 Aspen Words Literary Prize. National Bestseller. IndieNext Pick. One of The New York Times Book Review's 100 Notable Books of 2022. “If I Survive You is a collection of connected short stories that reads like a novel, that reads like real life, that reads like fiction written at the highest level.” —Ann Patchett A major debut, blazing with style and heart, that follows a Jamaican family striving for more in Miami, and introduces a generational storyteller. In the 1970s, Topper and Sanya flee to Miami as political violence consumes their native Kingston. But America, as the couple and their two children learn, is far from the promised land. Excluded from society as Black immigrants, the family pushes on through Hurricane Andrew and later the 2008 recession, living in a house so cursed that the pet fish launches itself out of its own tank rather than stay. But even as things fall apart, the family remains motivated, often to its own detriment, by what the younger son, Trelawny, calls “the exquisite, racking compulsion to survive.” Masterfully constructed with heart and humor, the linked stories in Jonathan Escoffery’s If I Survive You center on Trelawny as he struggles to carve out a place for himself amid financial disaster, racism, and flat-out bad luck. After a fight with Topper, Trelawny claws his way out of homelessness through a series of odd, often hilarious jobs. Meanwhile, his brother, Delano, attempts a disastrous cash grab to get his kids back, and his cousin Cukie looks for a father who doesn’t want to be found. As each character searches for a foothold, they never forget the profound danger of climbing without a safety net. Pulsing with vibrant lyricism and inimitable style, sly commentary and contagious laughter, Escoffery’s debut unravels what it means to be in between homes and cultures in a world at the mercy of capitalism and whiteness. With If I Survive You, Escoffery announces himself as a prodigious storyteller in a class of his own, a chronicler of American life at its most gruesome and hopeful.

Placed in Foster care at the tender age of 6, I quickly learned I had to grow up fast. Through a series of devastating events; molestation, domestic violence, and infidelity, I developed thick skin. It was the love of helping others that saved my life.

As light as many people take it, rejection is a powerful weapon that the devil uses to destroy the hope, joy and peace of the children of God. There are many types of rejection. My story consists mainly of rejection of family and church. It is important that my story be not mistaken as a “pity party”. What happened to me is not only real, but the truth as it is told. If what has happened to me defines my state as “a victim”, then it is what it is, but please know that as I type the words of my experiences on this paper I am healed and victorious in Christ Jesus. This testimony is for others who have experience rejection as I have, to know that they are not alone. This testimony is spoken for those who are so hurt from rejection that they are not able to articulate in words how they feel. The purpose of this testimony is to speak loud so that others can release, heal and move on to their next assignment. Everything that happens in our lives can be used for God to get glory. God gets glory when we give it to Him. As Romans 8:28 states, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose. Rejection doesn’t feel good and the effects that it has on an individual can be detrimental to the state of a person’s mind, body and soul if not released. Rejection can be intentional or unintentional. Rejection does not discriminate. It is prey to anyone who is subjectable. Rejection doesn’t care if you are rich or poor; white or black; born in a family with mother or father or born in a single parent home; female or male; child or adult; rejection is real. This is my story. Yours may be different, but the one common goal that we share is that we survived. For those who may still battle with the aftermath of rejection, I pray that this testimony will encourage you to tell your story so that you may be healed. Someone’s life depends on your story, mainly yours. Just tell it!

The greatest opportunity one has is to go on a venture with someone important. The Courseys went on an adventure with God as he called them into a special task with him. He performed wonders as he led them toward the fulfillment of the task he assigned them. They have written fifteen true life stories, mostly of Kenya, of different events that occurred along the way. Not all the situations were fun filled at the time, but with them in the rearview mirror, the Courseys enjoy laughing about them. There were troubles on the road and at home, in floods and dry times, by slithery creatures as well as by two-legged and four-legged creatures, and there were times of good health and times of health concerns. Some of these could have turned into quite bad situations. As the Courseys look back, they can enjoy and laugh at many of the situations with their children and friends and appreciate the ways by which the Lord brought them through each one. They desire to share some of them with you. They recommend that everyone follow God wherever he leads them and, in doing this experience, the best life possible. God brought the Courseys home. He will also bring you home as you venture with him.

ABOUT THE AUTHORA. Ruth Proctor is a serial entrepreneur, mom, and survivor. Placed in Foster care at the tender age of 6, she was forced to make mature life adjustments. Through a series of devastating events, including molestation, domestic violence, and infidelity, she developed tenacity, perseverance, and a toolkit of survival skills that she shares with others. It is her love of helping others that saved her life. Fashion, Art, and Music have always been her passion, stirred by her natural parents infinite appetite for the arts. Proctor says, "I remember my father would take me from store to store while he sang songs like Otis Redding's, "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" and crowds would gather. My mom is a gifted fashion illustrator, singer, and songwriter. She was always placing me in talent shows where I would sing, model, and act. One of my fondest memories of my mother is watching her sketch design after design. I began signing before I could read and write."Music was been a haven for Proctor, holding her during her years in foster care. While her journey has been long and difficult, she credits God with blessing her abundantly. She enjoys serving the community and giving back through her nonprofit organization, "Building Foundations Together, Inc." Her dream is to be able to help foster kids through educational programs and scholarships for college, while additionally providing counseling support. Proctor's life is a testament to her favorite Biblical passage: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

Divorce -- ouch! This is one of the most emotionally challenging experiences one has to deal with in life. Especially if you're not the party who initiated the proceedings. Especially if it comes with a few unpleasant surprises about new lovers, child custody, financial obligations and the like. Getting your life reorganized is challenging enough, but it is made far more difficult by the emotional rollercoaster one has to ride at the same time. Thanks to my background in clinical psychology and my long involvement with spiritual, social, and personal growth movements, I, your esteemed author, was able to navigate the ending of my own relationship with a fair amount of insight and awareness. Within the first few weeks it became apparent that the various hurts, angers, and other emotional difficulties all centered around a dozen or so basic issues. By keeping aware of these issues and the psychological principles at work behind them, I found I was less likely to be ambushed by feelings like rage, depression, shame, and insecurity. Further, I was able to keep the normal sadness, hurt, and anger down to manageable proportions. As a result, my "ex" and I had virtually a textbook model breakup (well OK, dividing the home sale proceeds was a little bumpy, but other than that...), and we now get along far better than when we were together. Along the way, it helped me to write up my various struggles and breakthroughs, and now I hope these experiences and insights will help you. In addition, with psychotherapy now averaging about $100 per session, this information may save you several thousand dollars! So if you are struggling through a divorce or other traumatic loss, I'm here to tell you that it can be survived, that you can avoid becoming stuck in counterproductive patterns of thought and feeling, and that the suffering you are experiencing can be kept to a manageable level. Divorce may not be fun, but it doesn't have to be agony! Moreover, by going through this process with awareness, you will become a larger person, better prepared for your next life adventure. So take heart! -Bill Miller

Many times when you are called into the ministry, you experience rejection from the ones that were supposed to embrace and nurture you. You are in the beginning stage of finding out what you're supposed to be doing and no one seems to want to help you to walk in your purpose. Instead, you are ridiculed. Well, this book is to inspire upcoming preachers and Prophets of the Gospel to let you know that you are not alone neither are you crazy. I encourage you to go forward in the things of God and be assured of what the Lord has spoken to you and say and do what he said!

Are you looking for change? Do you want to be a more positive person? This book will give you all the tools you need from A-Z to get you started and on your way. You will learn how to work with your angels, let go of old belief systems, let go of anger, sadness and anything else that no longer serves you. You will read about many different holistic healing modalities, meditation, breathwork and more that can also help you. Throughout this book there are meditations that you can practice at home as well as affirmations to help you stay positive. Let this be your journey to a more positive mind, body and soul.

A Southern rich girl and a mechanic prove that opposites attract, but making their relationship work in the real world may be more than they can handle. Jewell Whittington grew up rich, spoiled, and headstrong. Clay DeVries grew up poor, hard-working and so much in love that it hurt—particularly since the woman he loved couldn’t even be bothered to acknowledge his existence. Years later, Clay is still scrambling but doing well enough that he’s been able to buy the local garage where he has worked for ten years and, in the middle of a typical Southern summer cloudburst, he stops to help a stranded motorist and is once again stung by the haughty indifference of the woman he still loves from afar—until he discovers that her father has died and left her penniless. His rescue attempt is stymied by the fact that she still expects everything to be handed to her on a silver platter, even though she doesn’t have the means to pay for it. Physical attraction can only carry you so far when the differences in expectations are so vast and even a reversal of fortune that restores Jewell to her family home and wealth only accentuates the differences between them. They both want to marry but Clay can’t stand her life of wealth, empty friendships and meaningless activity and he can’t believe that she can live any other way. True love never runs smooth but is there even a ray of hope that two such disparate lives can come together? Blue-Jeaned Prince, originally published under the byline Vivian Leiber.