Fortunate's Unfortunate Fortunes

Book excerpt: Fortunate Higgins was a daughter of Uganda. The fortunate and unfortunate events in her life would take her from her city in the African nation all the way to the United States where she faced unimaginable struggles, abuse, deception, betrayal, and heartache. In this powerful and inspirational memoir, Fortunate looks back on her life and all the people who both helped and harmed her during her journey. Fortunate's misfortunes seem to be unrelenting. The first part of her story, "Who the Bleep Did I Marry?" chronicles her 2006 arranged marriage to Gregory, a complete stranger and a man with secrets of his own. Gregory took her from everything she knew in Uganda and brought her to America, where he isolated her and psychologically abused her. After the birth of their child, her situation grew more desperate. Her need to escape in order to protect herself and her baby was now greater than ever. But Gregory wouldn't let her go that easily... Fortunate's next section tells the story of Andrew, a man she thought could provide relief from her husband but managed to hurt her in even crueler ways. Throughout their tumultuous relationship, Fortunate would encounter the worst tragedy a person can face and would emerge with a determination to change her life and finally find peace.