Advance praise for ‘’Maya: A Captivating Story of love and triumph”
A Heroine for the Modern Age: Alex Andy Phuong
As of 2019, more films and literary works focused on feminism and women. Subject to subjugation in the past, more people are honoring women rather than dehumanizing them. Because of such compelling portraits of women that focused on empowerment, more women are earning praise. That means that heroines like Maya in this book‘… is a great example of how stories about women can inspire other people, and not just women.
Throughout this beautifully written work, Maya struggles to define herself as both a woman and as a person. Individualism really is an important theme because a man named "Samuel" claims to be Maya's "father" even though it is unclear about the true identity of her biological dad. Living in Durban proves to be challenging for Maya, and her story involves a lot of turmoil as she struggles to survive.
Without giving away spoilers, Maya is a prime example of a woman trying to live a meaningful life while also trying to find her place in the world. She definitely encounters very "colourful" characters (pun intended), and life is hard for her because of her African identity.Maya is essentially a Bildungsroman about a woman yearning to live while learning how to survive in spite of the racism and sexism that attempted to destroy her.
Because of the fundamental fact that misogyny has been a major problem throughout history, it is nice to know that women in both the fictional and the real world are earning respect rather than ridicule. Reading Maya will hopefully inspire people to honour women instead of hurting them. Therefore, heroines really are more than just female heroes.
Sheila Deeth (Vine Voice)
Ben’s book is a detailed account of an innocent only-child stepping out into a dangerous world. School lessons, schoolmates’ names and varied backgrounds in Durban, South Africa, all are carefully laid out. But Maya doesn’t know her mother, and the hole in her background drives her to trust the wrong people, mistrust the right, and enter an underworld of sexual assault, violent death, drugs and theft. Luckily there’s a road back to the light. Forgiveness and healing can be found. And complex philosophy has a redemptive point in this novel.
A riches to rags to riches story, with action-movie undertones and careful explanation and detail, ‘…’ it raises hope for those whose wrong choices have led to wrong destinations. It’s an intriguing tale with fascinating insights into different lives.
Richard Lang
Maya Isaac was raised by Samuel, the man that married and divorced her mother. When Maya tried to discover her milieu from Samuel, she wasn't satisfied with his tale. She sought to find her destiny by joining a youth group called the Alternative Lifestyle Group (ALG). The group got her involved in drug trafficking, prostitution, and thievery. Maya decided to steal money from an ALG drug sale, but was busted by the police and sent to prison. There she was
ameliorated by a group of inmates and befriended by Van Brussels, a man she nearly killed earlier on. Released from prison early, she was educated as a secretary and given a job in Brussels' company. It was there she fell in love with Brussels' adopted son. Her transformation was inspirational.
Ella Gram
Sometimes life doesn't give you a fair hand. You might not have all the same things as those around you. That is the case for Maya. Growing up with only her father raising her she was easily brainwashed into thinking that she what she was being trained to do was for her and finding her destiny. After doing many things she would regret she realized that what she was doing was wrong and wanted to make a change. This is a story that show even when you chose the wrong path in life. Things can always get better, as long as you stop going down the destructive path.
Christy. K. Cagle
Maya has not had the best life. She made mistakes and had many regrets; however, she makes a change. She changes her course in life and things started looking up. This is a book that will put life back into perspective. You'll learn it's never too late to do better; to achieve more.
Ben does a great job of pulling his readers into his character's world. Great job. I look forward to more from you.
The Background
“This is an adult fiction work that explores the ordeals of Maya Isaac an over-protected single child, a victim of a broken home, Maya was raised singlehandedly by a man who she knew as her “father,” Samuel. He had divorced his wife, Cynthia, years ago on the grounds of infidelity before Maya turned three years old. Growing up in Durban was a heady mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly for Maya.
Through the influence of wrong peers, Maya went into the underworld of stealing, drug trafficking and prostitution, under the cover of a very perverse juvenile assembly called the Alternative lifestyle Club (The ALC). She joined the club in the pursuit of what she called her “destiny” and became popular among many top-notch Southern Africans.
After several disappointments, Maya thought that she could use her “connections” to bite the fingers that fed her by carrying out the assignments given to her in her own way—a way of letting the organisation know that she was no push-over. But that was not the case! Consequently, Craig and Ms. Diana, the leaders of the club, led this juvenile to her doom. They set her up and the police arrested her. The long arm of the law landed her in prison in Johannesburg. It was while she was in the prison that she realised that changing for the better would save her.
Through a favour from Van Brussels, a rich gold merchant, school owner and chairman of the Louisville Shipping Company, against whom she had committed a crime in the past, Maya was released from prison before the stipulated sentence was up. She was sent to the United States to study Secretarial studies, she worked for Van Brussels’ company for a couple of years, and then returned to her native home in Durban South Africa with her husband, Daniel Young, to look for her father, who she left years before. But he was dead and gone. She was in pain and anguish, but she was to receive consolation from her husband.
Maya became a rich woman. She was a famous business woman and a stalwart doing charity works in her country. But before then, something happened………………Read the captivating story as you open the chapters of the book.