Book In Review

     The Road To Me- I Now Know Why That Caged Bird Sang, is an exploratory autobiography of a woman who has known abandonment, cancer, abuse, domestic violence, foster care, love and loss in many forms.     Jessica Angelique is a very special woman.  She has been to the depths of pain and loss and yet she has not built her life on dispair.  She has also known love and life; and yet, she has not had a smooth storybook ending.   This is a woman who deserves a great two- sided love which will be built out of mutual respect, admiration, decency and purpose. 

       Her life as a young child can be described as, one horror after another.  Her definition of family was redefined by her experiences.  She considers one certain foster family to be her parents and that would be Barb and Dave.  Jessica considers their children Tony and Alyssa her brother and sister. 

        They were a foster family that had the care of Jessica within their family for one blissful year.  They accepted her as their own until the foster care system decided to end her stay there.  The tragedy is that she doesn’t know their last name or, what city in Indiana that they lived in.  To top it off…the system will not allow her to try to trace them or contact them.   It would be an amazing miracle to find them after all of these years.  Her heart aches to reconnect with them and to tell them of their impact on her life.  They gave her gifts that they may not realize that they bestowed upon the young girl who had never known unselfish love and acceptance.   How different would her life have been had she been allowed to put down roots in this family and grown to flourish and flower?

      There has been a long history of betrayal in Jessica’s life…through foster care and in her personal romantic relationships.   It is hard to trust when a childhood is filled with betrayal and abuse; so that makes it especially evil to have others in your life, as an adult, treat you with violence, abuse, neglect or betrayal.   Jessica developed a life long love of reading, horses and empowerment.  These are tools she employed to survive the torture that she endured.

       She has learned how to survive and how to overcome.  As a mother of two boys she has passed on her commitment to living a life of purpose.   She has documented her journey in The Road To Me.   As she says, her life isn’t pretty…but, it is real.  I like the fact that Jessica has strengthened her relationship to God.   She is still here on Earth because God ordained it.  She has resolved that she was allowed to go through so many soul wrenching situations so that she could be a voice for children and for individuals who suffer and come through stronger, because she knows what they are going through.  She also knows that it shouldn’t and doesn’t have to be that way!

        Jessica has developed what she calls her Definitive Voice.  In fact, she uses her voice to call attention to organizations and non- profits that change peoples lives for good.   She is a strong voice for things such as Live Strong the organization that Lance Armstrong started to create an awareness about cancer and it’s touch on the lives that it affects.  She is a strong supporter of CASA , advocates for children in foster care…this is one of her biggest legacies…as a champion for children.  In fact, she also  a strong advocate for Children’s Rights.   Another recipient of her support is The Lampion Center in Evansville, IN . 

        The human spirit is an amazing thing.  It has an powerful ability to heal & survive when all odds seem stacked against it’s very existance.   All it needs is a kernel of real love, real affection, real hope, real peace to begin rebuilding what forces of destruction have tried to tear down.  Those very things that have come against it to destroy, only serve to strengthen the wings of that person’s soul.  To reclaim joy and direction; the human spirit needs a purpose in life to be effective in connecting to others to make the most out of the short time that the human spirit has here on earth.   I believe that Jessica Angelique has found the path that God would have her on and I believe that he will reward her efforts to be obedient to her calling.  

        Jessica’s book, The Road To Me can be purchased on http://www.amazon.com .