Hi, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host Jillian Haslam and her new book, “A Voice Out of Poverty: The Power to Achieve through Adversity,” here on FAB!! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Jillian and to increase your chances of winning!!
Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!
A Voice Out of Poverty:
The Power to Achieve through Adversity
by Jillian Haslam
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GENRE: Memoir
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BOOK 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.
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EXCERPT TWO:
“Oh, come on now Jillu, it’s not that bad!” she said. The brusque tone harkened to how she’d counsel us not to yield to emotion. My mother relentlessly stressed that life could always have been harder. Never make a fuss. Be grateful for what you have, however paltry. Things can be worse.
I wasn’t appeased, and my mother could tell.
“We can get it cleaned up when we get back,” she added, wiping tears from my cheeks with a single thumb. Her other hand was trapped inside the hand of my younger sister, four-year-old Vanessa, who held on as if worried she’d fly away like a released balloon if she let go.
“Anyway, we’re leaving in a few days, and where we’re going is better.” More parental reassurance about greener pastures.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“To Mrs. Brown’s. She’s letting us sleep on the floor in her room for a while. It will be crowded but all of us will be together again.”
“You mean Daddy and Donna can go there too?” I asked, my mood brightening. I saw a ghost of a smile emerging on Vanessa’s face as she took it all in. We often lived apart as a family because of our circumstances.
“Yes, but we can only stay for a few weeks, and then we must find somewhere else again. But don’t worry, you know Daddy and I always find us something.”
“Okay,” I said, nodding.
We resumed shuffling down the streets, navigating mass congestion. I turned my head for a long look back at the old woman and her dogs. I felt a surge of empathy for her, alone in wet and dirty clothes, facing each day with the promise of nothing. Soon we’d have a roof over our heads in a family home while she’d continue to fend for herself in the unsympathetic and unforgiving slum streets. She’d continue to get wet and dirty. She’d continue to try to survive each day with no family to love and care for her; I felt grateful for what I had and prayed that someday she might have the same. As those thoughts flooded me, she gingerly placed sheets of old newspaper on the wet ground to sit on.
The rain fell a little harder.
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GUEST POST:
Using Your Voice to Leave a Lasting Legacy Behind
There are few better ways to spark change in the world than using your voice. It is through our voices that we express our beliefs, show our passion, and push for the change we want to see in society.
The right of free speech is a fundamental human right, and you only need to visit a country where free speech is suppressed to truly appreciate it. It’s like freedom. Liberty. You don’t really get to appreciate it until it’s gone.
But that’s human nature, isn’t it?
It often takes momentous events for us to realise how fortunate we are.
It’s not until we lose our job that we truly recognise the gift of a secure pay check.
It’s not until our house is robbed that we realize how much our possessions meant to us.
And it’s not until we lose a loved one that we wish we had reminded them every day how much we love them.
Like a House of Cards
Free speech is an incredibly powerful tool and stripping anyone’s right to it leads to a less progressive world. It is through your voice that you can get your beliefs, opinions and issues heard through speeches, rallies and protests, not to mention bringing others on board your cause.
Since time immemorial, people have been using free speech to challenge societal norms. The world as we know it would be completely different were it not for free speech.
For instance, in America, women may never have had the right to vote, which seems unfathomable at this moment in time.
Martin Luther King is another of many famous examples of people who leveraged free speech to ignite a change. He is good proof that no matter the number of voices trying to silence you, it is good to continue to speak out for what you believe in.
It is through speaking out that many countries have been able to bring about the change they have longed for for decades.
Take the Arab Spring, for example.
What started out as a few dissenting voices in Tunisia against police corruption and brutality sparked a domino effect that led to the ousting of powerful dictatorships across North Africa and beyond that were deemed infallible.
It all started when a fruit vendor set himself on fire in front of a government building following harassment by police officers who wanted to confiscate his wooden cart because he did not have a permit to sell fruit.
This angered the people so much, which saw them take to the streets, town by town, before eventually toppling a president who had been in power for 23 years.
Egypt, which had been under an oppressive ruler for almost three decades, followed suit and within a weeks of mass protests brought down the powerful president.
The people of Libya then followed in the footsteps by rising up in arms to bring an end to 42 years of power of a powerful leader whose reputation preceded him.
The common theme among these protests – and many others like them – was that they started out as small embers which were fanned by the people’s voice. These flames slowly morphed into a huge bonfire as more and more like-minded citizens joined the cause.
And as it turned out, these people were in the majority. All they needed was someone to start the debate, and the end result would see powerful governments come down like a house of cards.
More recently, we are witnessing the people of Hong Kong speak up against an authoritarian main government that is threatening to erode their freedom of speech and expression.
And while the war is not won yet, the people of Hong Kong have sparked a debate that will have a long-lasting impact for generations to come.
Power of Voice
This shows the power of voice to bring about desired change in society.
And it happens in other aspects of our lives, not just politics.
It is through speaking out that issues plaguing society the world over are brought to the public’s attention – human trafficking, poaching and illegal wildlife trade, destructive impact of climate change, and many more.
Voicing out issues such as sexual harassment, as we have seen with Hollywood celebrities, has brought public awareness on the issue and people are starting to speak out against such entrenched practices.
Recently, one female student in Nigeria went public regarding how a lecturer at the University of Lagos tried to solicit sexual favours from the student in exchange for good grades.
“Sex for Grades”, it has been dubbed.
The story started doing rounds on social media prompting international mainstream media to pick it up. As more and more students begin to speak out, this is set to spark a change not just in schools the world over, but the workplace and society in general.
The same way a few voices have brought about a change in many communities in Africa where female genital mutilation used to be a common practice. By speaking out against it, the practice is now increasingly frowned upon.
Same case with forced childhood marriages.
The Takeaway
Society will always be beleaguered by many issues as the idea of a perfect world remains a mirage.
However, with normal people like you and me speaking out against unjust and unfair practices, we can help shed light on the issues which can ultimately help bring about desired change.
One voice can spark a chain reaction that leads to a better world.
As we are reminded by this quote:
“Speak up, because the day you don't speak up for the things that matter to you is the day your freedom truly ends.”
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AUTHOR BIO:
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Jillian Haslam was born in 1970 and raised primarily in the slums of Calcutta. Despite the severe devastation of her family’s living circumstances, she completed her education and landed her first major employment as a personal assistant to the CEO at Bank of America in India.
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.
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CONNECT WITH JILLIAN:
Website:
Email:
contact@jillianhaslam.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jillian.haslam
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/IndianEnglishTheMovie
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/JillianHaslam
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/jillian.haslam
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6082080.Jillian_Haslam
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/125139426-a-voice-out-of-poverty
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon US Kindle eBook:
Amazon US Paperback:
Amazon CA Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.ca/Voice-Out-Poverty-Achieve-Adversity-ebook/dp/B0BX48B964
Amazon CA Paperback:
https://www.amazon.ca/A-Voice-out-of-Poverty/dp/9381043523
Books2Read eBooks/Paperbacks:
https://books2read.com/u/3JnzxK
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Jillian will be awarding a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**
This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteSounds great.
ReplyDeleteIt was nice to read about your Happy Hearts charity for children!
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
This sounds like an incredible book
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read.
ReplyDelete