Description
About the book Golden Girl
Golden Girl: Is it possible for a young woman to endure trauma and survive – even thrive?
One woman’s journey to surviving trauma, learning resilience and finding joy
Golden Girl is the remarkable story of a courageous young woman’s journey to overcoming the deep losses and injuries of an abusive relationship. The ‘golden girl’ of the title is Hazel, a delightful, trusting young woman whose innocence and joy are shattered in unexpected circumstances. Living in a time and culture where women’s experiences of abuse were met with condemnation, not compassion, Hazel faces devastating life decisions with deep determination, borne of her trust in the loving presence of God.
Sensitively written, Golden Girl testifies that liberation, hope and joy can grow out of even the bleakest circumstances.
About the Author Heather Anne Bloom
Heather Anne Bloom was born in Shimla, summer capital of the British Raj in India. Raised in England, she and her family later settled in Australia. She has worked in the areas of marriage and family counselling for the Anglican Church in Australia, as well as counselling and teaching English to business people and refugees in Germany. She is widowed and the mother of two children: Laurence, the light of her life, and Lorraine, sadly deceased and deeply missed but fondly remembered. Now in retirement, Heather keeps up with her charity work in India, advocates for her son and other disabled people, and writes books. Her belief in a loving God has kept her grounded through many challenging times.
Reviews
“Golden Girl is the uplifting story of one girl’s path to overcoming trauma and abuse. Discovering her own strength and resilience of spirit, the protagonist, Hazel, manages to hold onto her true self through horrendous adversity and challenges, drawing us into her story as she goes.
Hazel’s story is striking for how lightly it unfolds in the telling. Readers will quickly become invested in discovering how the future unfolds and a deeply hurt girl begins to heal. The best and worst of people and their use and abuse of power are revealed throughout these pages as Hazel confronts seemingly hopeless situations, making many friends along the way and shocking others with her courage.
Golden Girl offers a fascinating insight into the common human struggle to make sense of our circumstances, choices and lack of choices, and how these shape our lives. It brings hope with the message that survival is possible, and joy can flow again, even after immense pain.”
~ Lydia Wilson, psychologist
“This is a remarkable story of courage and survival over abuse, disappointment and deep loss. The ‘Golden Girl’ of the title is Hazel, a delightful, outgoing and trusting young woman faced with very difficult decisions at a time in history when compassion was no match for condemnation.
Hazel inspires readers with her determination to confront challenges and setbacks in a positive, constructive way while avoiding bitterness. Her story also testifies to the triumph of a deep trust in God over circumstances that would defeat many. Hazel manages, despite everything, to ‘cling to her faith in a loving God’, sensing that she is accompanied by God’s abiding presence through the unexpected twists and turns of her life. One senses that without this perspective, Hazel’s life would have been very different.
The reader is taken through Hazel’s young life in the UK with its tribulations and difficulties to the beginnings of a new life in Australia. It is a life plagued with struggle but also full of achievement and fulfilment. The final chapters bring a degree of closure. Not everything in Hazel’s life is resolved, and parts of the story will remain with the reader well beyond the book’s end. Yet the epilogue, a sensitive move beyond narrative to reflection, testifies to a deep sense of liberation, even joy.
Reading this story was profoundly moving.”
~ Christiaan Mostert, theologian and Anglican priest
