Jack V. is a pen name to conceal the identity of a woman who bears all in this story. The author was baptized under the name St. Jacques Berthieu, a faithful man who was martyred for his insistence in remaining courageous in times of peril. It’s symbolic of Jack V. and her life. Her story is raw, intense, perseverant, and guided by a surviving faith which never dies.

 

Jack V. tells of her childhood: growing up with a mentally ill mother, physically, sexually, and mentally abusive father-figures; she speaks about the liberties taken with her body when she was just a child; social injustices incurred upon victims of rape and racism; Jack V. refuses to settle into the depression she acknowledges, to allow the anxiety attacks take over her daily life. She is a fighter.

 

She speaks about the extremities of poverty and hunger, how it led her and her family to eat from dumpsters and sleep in cars in the dead of a Michigan winter. The last story asks for forgiveness to her mother. Although these stories come from childhood memories, they are written by a woman with a clear and forgiving mind. Her purpose is to show readers how not to forget, but to forgive. That’s when the healing comes.

 

This book was written for anyone out there who has been a victim; it is for curious minds interested in exploring empathy for injured persons; it was written to talk about social injustice and to create solidarity.

 

After reading this, demand change; don’t just ask.

 

Ghetto Girl is the second book of this series. Jack V. takes you into her life as a teenage girl living in Detroit, Michigan. She holds the hand of the reader so they won’t stumble of the moments which caught her.

 

Fights, special education, torn families, prostitution, hustling and conning, courts and lockup facilities, underground parties and gambling arenas, sexual abuse, neglect and despair; it’s all there in this story.

 

Follow Upcoming Events for a list of cities Jack V. will be touring November 2015. Ghetto Girl will be available for early purchase with copies of Girl. Woman. Us. as well for signatures.

 

Jack V. is available for hire as a motivational speaker. For rates, subject materials, and date availability, submit inquires on the contact page.