Dreams and Nightmares: Life of a Menace

DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES

Life of a Menace

By Coretha Davenport

“Without a test, there is no testimony.” This phrase is one that comes up in worship and a person’s faith journey, for everyone goes through something in the course of their lives. For some, it happens early in life, and for others it’s later. That being said, I present to you Coretha Davenport’s memoir Dreams and Nightmares: Life of a Menace.

Born in Minneapolis, Davenport’s story speaks of a life that was no crystal stair, almost from the beginning. The second child of six children, her father went to prison for murder when she was two. Much of her childhood was spent being bounced around from one place to another, from one relative to another. When the family lived in Natchez, Mississippi, one bright spot in her life was living with her godmother. When she was 10, her mother moved her and her siblings back to Minnesota.

We speak of generational curses, and in Davenport’s case, she had seen her mother endure physical abuse at the hands of her stepfather, and she would experience this at the hands of relatives and some of the men in her life later on. On top of that, there was sexual abuse at the hands of male relatives, particularly one uncle. Having two children before she was 18, the family that was supposed to love and care for her was filled with dysfunction, turning a blind eye to the abuse she suffered and preferring to use it as fodder for gossip, even going so far as to blame the victim.

Her memoir is grittily honest about the life she led and the men in her life as an adult, and it seemed filled with more nightmares than dreams. She could have been permanently scarred both mentally and emotionally by her experiences, but when God steps in, everything changes.

When it comes to physical and sexual abuse, especially by a relative, there is often a conspiracy of silence and a reluctance to speak out about the abuse or press formal charges, which the abuser uses to psychological advantage. I acknowledge Davenport for her strength and her willingness to speak up and help to break the cycle of abuse. In her words, she could “hopefully inspire others to come out of the darkness and take a stand in the light.”

Dreams and Nightmares is available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the Minnesota Black Authors Expo website (www.mnblackauthorsexpo.com).

Thank you, Coretha, for standing in the light and sharing your story!