Scars and Stilettos by Harmony Dust
January 2010 by Lion Hudson PLC
Paperback, 192 pages
Review Copy
Book Synopsis
Fear of being abandoned keeps nineteen-year-old Harmony Dust trapped in an abusive and cruel relationship. She thinks she has hit bottom-tens of thousands of dollars in debt, struggling to get by, and so controlled by her boyfriend that she doesn't protest when he begins openly sleeping around. Things can't get worse . . . until someone tells her how much money she can make as an exotic dancer. For the next three years, Harmony lives a double life as Monique, a dancer in a fully-nude strip club.Scars and Stilettos is Harmony's stark, honest, and ultimately hopeful story of how God found her in that dark, noisy place and led her out. She has since married, completed an MA in social welfare, and now leads Treasures, an organization helping women in the sex trade discover their true worth........(Sent from Litfuse)
Review
Harmony's story is hard, she at 13 probably experienced more than most do in a lifetime. Tormented by feelings of worthlessness and loneliness, Harmony grasps onto anyone who will show her the least amount of attention. Practically raising herself and her young brother there are no good influences, no guidance, no love, sometimes no food and an open door for any pervert to take advantage of Harmony's situation. By the age of 18, Harmony has been molested and raped dozens of times and is in a controlling, awful relationship with a boy named Derek, who basically acts like her pimp. With his encouragement to become a stripper and her dreams of becoming a child psychologist, Harmony believes this is an easy way to make money and put herself through college while still taking care of Derek, so he can buy expensive shoes and do things very important like play basketball all day.
Harmony walks us through her first night as a stripper and slowly how she rationalizes the job. Scared, nervous and not knowing how to even be a stripper, eager men wait in line to see the teenager take her clothes off. Harmony becomes numb to the job and enjoys the money of taking her clothes off, only the sweetness of cash in her hand becomes like ashes to her soul. Her dignity, self worth and shame haunt the forefront of her mind and soon Harmony becomes edgy and angry. Derek the man she's desperate to hold onto has moved another woman into their apartment and has kicked Harmony out on the couch. Any normal level headed woman would have sent Derek a one way ticket to out of my life forever but Harmony endures the ridiculous relationship and becomes a very bitter girl underneath.
Ultimately what changes Harmony's life is a small church service in which she receives Christ. Without shoving religion down the readers throat and pretending that the day she became a Christian everything turned into rainbows is not found. Harmony has to work through some major issues, shes going to church yet still stripping and still entangled with Derek, it isn't until real transformation begins and Harmony finds strength she never knew she had. She walks away cold turkey from the strip club and finally....finally....cuts Derek completely out of her life. For a woman whose entire life was wrapped in sexual perversion, it was amazing to see her turn all of it around and inspire herself to help other girls and women in the industry. Harmony's story is one of great pain but great triumph, you can't help but be lifted up by her bravery and her amazing work of outreach.
Rating
Scars and Stilettos while a very inspiring story, contains graphic content including: abuse-sexual, physical and mental, sexual acts and encounters, stripping, exotic dancing and performing (in graphic details) drinking, smoking, drugs, depression, exploitation of a minor and many hopeful issues as well. This is suggested to adult readers, but I would recommend this to any teen who is struggling or has been sexually abused, molested or contemplating a life in the adult entertainment world.
4/5- Memoir
Thank you to Litfuse Group Publishing for Review Copy...to see all the blogs on this tour click here
To learn more about Harmony visit her website and to support the awesome ministry's and organization she has started for women in the industry visit Treasures.
I just ordered this book last week, waiting on it to come. After reading Angel Star I'm looking forward to a light fun read.
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