RISING ABOVE THE SCARS is the true account of Johnnetta McSwain’s triumphant life story.  Born to an alcoholic mother and an absent father, the odds were unceremoniously stacked against her even as she drew her first breath.  By the innocent age of five, she was viciously raped and incessantly battered by her three uncles while in the custody of her grandparents.

The all too real horror of Johnnetta’s formative years was not just her reality.  Her slightly older sister and male cousin were also made to bear ruthless physical, sexual, and psychological abuse.  As young, vulnerable children, they were bound, beaten, choked, threatened and forced to perform horrific sex acts by their uncles.  At the tender age of eight, when most little girls can enjoy carefree security within the sanctuary of their homes, Johnnetta had contracted syphilis in hers.

The constant ravaging of Johnnetta’s body and mind served as a daily reminder that she was not wanted and not loved. Never allowed the liberty to make the missteps that often characterize adolescence, she was forced to sit outside stripped bare in the cold elements of the winter night.  This was Johnnetta’s punishment for wetting the bed and resulted in a severe case of pneumonia.

As she entered her teen years, her victimization continued, now perpetrated against her by the men her mother brought home.   In the absence of the love and guidance that every child has the right to enjoy, Johnnetta began shoplifting at twelve years old and eventually dropped out of high school at seventeen. By nineteen years old, she had given birth to her first son, applied for housing assistance, food stamps and welfare; continuing in the warped tradition of her family. In the harsh world of the streets, she was introduced to drug dealers and started dealing drugs.  Hanging out in clubs and dope houses, she traded her body for money, clothes, and whatever else she needed.  At twenty-six, she bore her second son. Seven months later, she was caught stealing in the mall and left her 7-month-old baby in the parking lot while running from the police.  The life that was trying to swallow her whole had finally led her to a felony charge.

Fast forward four years to an early misty morning when Johnnetta took a long introverted look in the mirror at the woman she had become.  In that moment, she knew it was time to change her life and stop letting life change her.  She urgently relocated to Georgia with a GED and a dream to be the first Ph.D. in her family.  She started college and, in just three years, she graduated with her Bachelor’s degree from Kennesaw State University.

Two years later, she earned a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) at Clark Atlanta University.  While completing her studies in graduate school, she created a copyrighted 12-step Self-Awareness Model (SAM) with the help of her mentor, Dr. Susan N. Kossak, and presented it for the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). In January 2008, she met withPamela Roberts (Executive Producer/Georgia Public Broadcasting), who began taping a documentary, “The Road Beyond Abuse,” narrated by Jane Fonda, which imparts the details of the abysmal beginning and ensuing victories that continue to shape Johnnetta’s life. The Emmy® Award-winning documentary aired April 15, 2009 on Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Johnnetta has since founded the organization, Breaking the Cycle: Beating the Odds, developed and facilitates a mentoring program, and is ardently pursuing her Ph.D.

Rising Above the Scars, written by Johnnetta McSwain, was released November 19, 2010.  It is a factual and striking account of real-life events intended for women of all ages.  Its objective is to help those who have been victims of child abuse to begin the healing process, in order to transition from victim to victor.

If you would like to be updated on the “Rising Above the Scars” book tour you can join the mailing list.  Please visitwww.risingabovethescars.com to order your book for $15.99 + shipping & handling.

To contact Johnnetta McSwain for speaking engagements, go to www.johnnettamcswain.com.  For more information on Breaking the Cycle: Beating the Odds workshops, you can visit www.breaking-the-cycle.com.  For general inquiries, e-mail johnnetta@breaking-the-cycle.com or at johnnettamswain@yahoo.com

Rome News-Tribune

The first thing people notice about Johnnetta McSwain is her smile. She greets people with a loud “Hey!” and a compliment.

But McSwain has a past that for years stayed a dark secret.

The award-winning speaker and author was brutally raped by three uncles as a small child. She was tied to a chair and tortured as she watched her sister and a male cousin be raped also.

“I wanted to be Wonder Woman,” she said. “I took one of my grandmother’s sheets, and I painted a WW in red paint, and I would spin round and round. I wanted to get in my invisible plane and get those men who hurt me. I would pretend…

Read more:RN-T.com – Rising above the scars Author shares story of sexual abuse

Sponsorship Level
1 Book $10.00 2 Books $20.00 3 Books $30.00 4 Books $40.00 5 Books $50.00 6 Books $60.00 7 Books $70.00 8 Books $80.00 9 Books $90.00 10 Books $100.00

Recently, I was contacted by an educator who shared with me a story that made national headlines news in January. The story exposed disturbing facts concerning teen girls at a high school in Memphis, TN.

As a survivor of severe childhood sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, I lived a life of recklessness, and inactivity until age 30. I dropped out of high school at 17, had a baby at 19, and on welfare by age 20. This is personal for me. I am one of these girls and we have to help empower these young girls before we lose them. We can not afford to loose our young girls to poverty, the streets, high school drop-outs, drugs, promiscuity, mental disorders, suicide, fatherless children, STD’s, HIV/AIDS and death.

Our future is at stake. We must do something NOW! I will be traveling to Memphis with a team to speak directly to these girls in an effort to inspire them to begin to break the cycles in their community. It is my goal to help these young girls by attempting to touch each one personally with my story and providing them with an autographed copy of my book. It is my hope that my story will inspire them to bring about the dramatic change that is needed to break their cycles.

On March 5, 2010, Soroptimist International of Atlanta (SI-Atlanta) presented me with the prestigious Ruby Award. The Ruby Award honors women who have worked to improve the lives of women and girls through their professional and/or volunteer work. I have to do something, but I cannot do this myself. I need your help. Let’s stop talking about it, and do it! Today, I NEED each of you to reach down in your soul and heart and HELP SPONSOR one or more of these young teens by donating at least $10.00 (Any donation will help). We spend more than this on lunch. Here is an opportunity for you to make a change in the life of our children, our future. We will use these funds to purchase copies of my book to leave in the hands of these teens. Our goal is to be able to give every girl at that school a book. Together you and I can help by increasing awareness in our community and teaching the skills necessary to overcome and beat the odds! Strength comes in numbers, if you are unable to give financially, tell your neighbors, family, co-workers and your friends. Let’s change the future together.

Sponsorship Level
1 Book $10.00 2 Books $20.00 3 Books $30.00 4 Books $40.00 5 Books $50.00 6 Books $60.00 7 Books $70.00 8 Books $80.00 9 Books $90.00 10 Books $100.00

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The Book Release Was a Success! Thank You!

I want to thank each and everyone of you that supported me by coming to the book’s release and signing.  It was a pleasure seeing your face in the place. Thank you for sharing in my vision and mission to empower women to love, forgive, and heal. For those of you who have been with me from the start of this book to the end; thank you. This is truly a blessing and I couldnt have done this without God and all of you. If you dont have a copy of this book, you are not doing yourself justice. This book will empower you, heal you, confront you, reveal you, shake you, shame you, save you and EMPOWER YOU. Buy one, buy two….just Do YOU!  Thank all of you who purchased a book(s). May God Bless you and I love you.