In the book Every Single Step, Charmaine begins her story with her family's relocation to a new neighborhood in Trelawny, Jamaica. She describes a life that is exciting but often terrifying and heart-wrenching. Her community in Trelawny is gloomy and replete with nosy and ruthless neighbors who gave the highest value to people of wealth and significant means. Her family could not afford many of the necessities of life, let alone maintain a lifestyle that would earn respect and admiration from the neighbors. As they were not wealthy, the neighbors mistreated them, and the children never missed an opportunity to remind Charmaine of her lower class.
As Charmaine matured from childhood to early adulthood, her beauty was apparent. Many noticed and felt envious. Others recognized her intelligence and natural abilities but tried to use her poverty against her. She endured hunger, bullying, and isolation every day that she lived in Trelawny. Facing these experiences made her resilient and taught her the value of the love and support of a family that shares the same struggles. Together they endured times of hunger when there's no food, long, cool nights, and the only source of light comes from one available kerosene lamp and doing without necessities that others around them took for granted. They endured these difficulties together, formed a tight-knit bond, and learned they could depend on each other.
The challenges, dreams, and aspirations inspired her to keep her head down and ignore the noises on the outside; she kept moving in the direction of her dreams. Little did she know that fate would favor her and lead her to some of the most exciting and unimaginable moments of her life. But while she continued to reach for the stars, she kept her dreams hidden, determined not to let anything, or anyone, stop her from making those dreams a reality, no matter how long it took. Charmaine's story is irresistible and captivating. It will grab you from the first word of the first page and keep you reading until the last word of the last page. We invite you to take this journey with Charmaine as she shares her story.