"I share my memoir, We Are Not Our Secrets, through drama, suspense, romance, and tears to advocate for children because as a little girl, I needed someone to advocate for me. My father held me at gunpoint when I was eleven. Confused over why I never told anyone; I reveal secret after secret until I find the answer." The story unfolds from a toddler and child experiencing trauma to one who morphs into a risqué adult that mesmerizes and entertains. Jj placates through the astonishing events and provides answers to the often-asked question of "Why me?" She has a freedom of sharing that will allow others to easily let go of vaulted secrets to experience their emotional cleansing as she has.
There are many books on trauma, what makes this one unique? We Are Not Our Secrets provides preventative tools to stop abuse. The story empowers others by thought provoking questions and gives suggestions for personal growth as her story inspires. She said as she attempted to tell her childhood story to others over her lifetime many would interrupt and share their childhood stories with her. She soon realized the frequency of abuse is not an anomaly but the norm. Her writing is a result of her childhood experiences and the stories of those who shared their childhood encounters. Subsequently, she wants to remove the deafening silence surrounding generational-cultural-abuses that rear their head globally and within many American families. She proclaims loudly, "Let the children speak. It is imperative to hear them as children before many become troubled adults."
Jj reveals that methodologies, ideologies, and theologies dating back 30,000 years have structured and enabled abuse. Adding, "How deeply rooted these studies and protocols tentacles reach into households are oblivious to many." She continues by saying that these structured constraints are the culprits for festering abuses because they have neglected mankind's emotional needs. She mentions that emotional needs have been placed secondary to accomplishments and have created a societal imbalance.
"I could not speak effectively as a toddler about the abuse I witnessed at three and a half, but as an adult, I can speak candidly about those childhood encounters. I had feelings of abandonment and hopelessness when Dad raged violently. My father could have killed me as he held me at gunpoint. Society has made it customary to ask adults how they are, physically and emotionally, after experiencing domestic encounters. Some receive counsel, but children are often overlooked and excluded. Abuse directly, or indirectly, can affect the child greater than one can ever imagine."
About The Author
Joyce Smith, a.k.a. Jj, was an intermediate software developer and corporate accounting manager for a Fortune 500 company. She is a singer-songwriter and was an executive producer on her debut album. Jj grew up in the small southern town of Pine Bluff, AR. She attended Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, and Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, in the late '80s. She shares her life to amplify the voices of children and teens whose stories are quieted or overlooked. We Are Not Our Secrets focuses on the prevention of family trauma and neglect. She states, "Abuse could be prevention driven, but it is not. Simplistic dialog and instruction could help remove the deafening silence surrounding family generational-cultural-abuse globally and in the U.S."
