Blog tour for Harmony Dust's moving book:
Scars and Stilettos:The Transformation of an Exotic Dancer.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
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.
"Harmony wrote her story so that you and your friends may get help out of whatever dark tunnel you find yourself in. . . . once you start this book, you will not be able to put it down and you will want to get a copy for every person you know." -Holly Wagner, from the preface
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Harmony Dust is founder of Treasures, a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles that reaches out to women in the sex industry to show them they are loved, valued, and purposed. Find out more about Treasures, Harmony, and her book at www.IAmATreasure.com or http://www.ScarsandStilettos.com. Check out Harmony's Press Page for magazine articles and videos about her work with women in the sex-trade industry.
My review: (note: I reviewed this book on my own and was not given this book as part of the blog tour. I had already read the book so my opinion was in no way influenced by anything.)
I enjoyed this story/memoir and read it straight through. I found it compelling and well written. In fact, I had to keep reminding myself that it wasn't a novel because it read like one. The author gives the reader a real feel for the lifestyle and how a young woman can get pulled into it without making the reader feel icky. Not an easy task with this type of subject matter. I appreciate how she showed that God had used the damage from her past to heal her in the present, and to prepare her for the future so she could minister to others.
I personally have been in similar situations as have many of the people I've worked with in child welfare. In these situations they agreed to something they didn't want to do out of fear of losing something they thought they had but was never really theirs to begin with. That particular theme in the story is what makes it so sad and yet, so real. The early childhood abuse taught her not to fight or to assert herself because she would always lose. That is how so many teens that I have worked with felt about themselves. They would make poor choices because they felt they had no choice. Yet when they realized they'd had a choice it was too late. Sad, but very real life. Bottom line...the authenticity of the story amazed me. And to be brave enough to tell it in all of it's shameful subject matter is incredible. That can only be done with God's help.
In Scars and Stilettos I didn't feel like the author was trying to glorify her past, but intended to walk the reader through her story in regards to the thought and emotion she went through as she deal with so many things. It was even powerful of a story in that regard. The beauty of how God reached her right where she was inspired me the most. How true that you don't win people to Christ by shaming them, but by filling them with the love of Christ, and then the behavior changes. You can't make anyone change by condeming them, but with love, you can move mountains. Isn't that so true? This book is not a downer; I really encouraged me. I loved that Harmony pointed out that she waited to heal before getting involved in a new relationship. That was a very healthy message. I have nothing but good things to say about this book.
LINKS:
Link to the blog tour on your blog:
http://www.litfusegroup.com/Blog-Tours/scars-and-stilettos-blog-tour.html
CONTEST !
Kregel Publishers is graciously donating a $50 Amazon.com gift card for the Litfuse Blog Tour Contest! Woo-hoo (thanks Kregel!) All you have to do to enter is either tweet (see TWEET THIS below) or share the book on Facebook using this link: http://www.litfusegroup.com/Blog-Tours/scars-and-stilettos-blog-tour.html
BLOG TOUR!
6/14
Jami at Intentionally Living...
http://jamibalmet.blogspot.com
Tina at Tina's Book Reviews
http://www.tinasbookreviews.com
Monica at My 3 Crazy Monkey's
http://www.thebertones.blogspot.com
Michelle at My Semblance of Sanity
http://michellekemperbrownlowwrites4kids.blogspot.com
Beckie at RBC Library
http://rbclibrary.wordpress.com
6/15
Alex at ...She Reads...
http://alihsee-reads.blogspot.com
Maggie at Tethered Mommy
http://www.tetheredmommy.com
Lisa at Heritage Homestead and Homeschool Academy
http://www.teachthemhisways.blogspot.com
Chistine at The IE Mommy
Http://www.theiemommy.com
Valerie at Teatime with Valerie
http://www.valkgal.com
Michelle at Edgy Inspirational Author
http://www.edgyinspirationalauthor.blogspot.com
6/16
Book Reviews by Kady Garrett
http://kgar.wordpress.com
Stephanie at The Joy Centered Life
http://www.thejoycenteredlife.blogspot.com
Elizabeth at Count It All joy
http://texasjoy.blogspot.com
Marta at Marta's Meanderings
http://martasmeanderings.blogspot.com
Kaylea at My Scrappy Life
Http://kaytebug2002.blogspot.com
6/17
Julie at my5monkeys
http://www.tableforseven-julie.blogspot.com
Rhiana at A Frugallife
http://www.afrugallife.org/
CelticLady at Blog O'The Irish
http://www.celticladysramblings.blogspot.com
Shonda at Knowlton Nest
www.jsknowlton.blogspot.com
Catherine at Cuzinlogic
http://cuzinlogic.wordpress.com/
6/18
Erin at Connected2Christ
http://connected2christ.com/theblog/
Heather at Mommy Of 1 and Counting
http://www.heatherandavery.blogspot.com
Lulu at Knits and Reads
http://knitsandreads.blogspot.com
Stacy at A Novel Source
http://anovelsource.blogspot.com
6/19
Paula at GraceReign
http://www.gracereign.blogspot.com
Angela at A Heart for Words
http://aheartforwords.blogspot.com/
Andi at Radieant Light
http://www.frommipov.blogspot.com
Marissa at The Review Stew
http://thereviewstew.blogspot.com
6/21
Jill at Frugal Plus
http://frugalplus.com/
Jettie at Jettie's Ramblings
http://jettiesramblings.com
Kristina at 3under4
http://www.3under4.com
Karen at Sky-High View
http://sky-highview.blogspot.com/
Crystal at The Scattered Mind Fragments of a Musical Mommy
http://musicandmommies.blogspot.com
6/22
Shannon at Mountaineer Country
http://www.mountaineercountrywv.blogspot.com
Zoe at Soe Reads
http://zoereads.blogspot.com
Emmanuel at Your Dreams Have Meanings
http://yourdreamshavemeanings.blogspot.com
Tracy at Pix-N-Pens
http://www.pixnpens.com
Suzanne at Clicking Her Heels
http://www.clickingherheels.blogspot.com
Ponderings by Andrea
http://andrealschultz.blogspot.com
6/23
Missie at Thirsty
http://fillmythirst.blogspot.com
JHS at Colloquium
http://www.jhsiess.com
Carol at Books Before Food
http://bookbeforefood.blogspot.com/
Lynetta at Open Book
http://lynetta.blogspot.com/
Revka at The Porch Light
http://ourfamilyporch.blogspot.com
Esther is Blogging
http://www.estherisblogging.blogspot.com/
6/24
Jen at The Steeds
http://www.thesteeds.net
Edna at My Favorite Things
http://edna-myfavoritethings.blogspot.com/
Tracy at Tracy's Book Review
http://www.tracysbooklet.info
Vera at Luxury Reading
http://www.luxuryreading.com
Barb at Country Bookshelf
http://www.countrybookshelf.blogspot.com
6/25
Mattie at Nothing But Love
http://www.owenothingbutlove.blogspot.com
Dona at Allergy Kid Mom
http://allergykidmom.blogspot.com
Stacy at Uponeagleswings
http://uponeagleswings.blogspot.com/
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