Make Me Beautiful - A Memoir

Take this journey through the life and times of Pamela Lundy, an African-American "Baby Boomer" from Detroit, Michigan. Her intriguing, impactful story spans over five decades of time. Her parents were divorced when she was very young, and her mother was denied visitation of her children. Subsequently, Pamela was left feeling unwanted and unloved. Her workaholic father took her and her five siblings to live with his parents in their overcrowded home. They became lost somewhere in the shuffle...It was there that she and her siblings were violated and became the frightened, fragile, voiceless victims of incest. Left carrying a boatload of baggage, guilt and shame, Pamela refuses to fade into the background. Though the survivor in her emerges, the traumatizing experience stays with her throughout most of her lifetime. She suppresses her feelings and attempts to hide her dirty little secret behind attaining and maintaining the outer image of beauty. Time after time, in desperation she attempts to capture it. Walk through her times of childhood bliss, those days of pony tail wearing, hop scotch playing and penny candy eating. Get a feel for the 1950's and 60's smoke-filled beauty shops as the "pressing comb" works its transitional magic converting Black women's hair from kinky to straight. Learn the plight of this Black woman's attempt to replicate the images of the Caucasian women which graced the covers of popular magazines, the ones that set the standard for what was deemed as beautiful. March through the times of civil unrest and experience a revolution in America. Read about Pamela's personal encounter with racial prejudice, after which she develops a clear perception of the magnitude of the raw, uncut hatred toward her people. Her journey continues as she evolves from a child into a woman. Her life seems plagued with obstacles. She faces many challenges. This is a story about the vicissitudes of life and everything in between. Ultimately, Pamela learns to view life as a series of experiences and lessons learned. Throughout this book she has incorporated her reflections, of which she shares with her readers. And for the most part, she is successful at turning her struggles into triumphs. Her story concludes as she finds the strength and courage to dig deep inside herself and break free from the demons of her past. As she unmasks her outer image of beauty and perfection, she relinquishes her heavy load of shame and realizes what the true essence of beauty really is.

• | Author: Pamela Lundy
• | Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• | Publication Date: Jun 02, 2017
• | Number of Pages: 124 pages
• | Language: English
• | Binding: Paperback
• | ISBN-10: 1523309113
• | ISBN-13: 9781523309115