Not My Circus is Delicia Niami’s second memoir, and I understand there is a third to follow. This book relates to her time in her mid-teens when she was raped on her way home from partying one night. Her visit to report the incident comes to nothing, and, immediately after her graduation from high school, she moves out into a place of her own. She moves many times in the course of the book, but at every turn, fate takes a hand, and her plans are derailed. If it can go wrong, it does go wrong. The cards dealt to Delicia are almost unbelievable. She loses several jobs, her health declines, friends she trusts betray her, and her family makes unreasonable demands on her. She is faced with drugs, alcohol, and financial problems, and from what she shares with us, time after time there are unforeseen and impossible obstacles in the way. Only her resilience and courage help her to survive.
As I turned the pages, I was appalled at the problems Delicia Niami had to face. I could only gasp at the courage and determination she showed not only in surviving but in helping others to survive as well. While Not My Circus is an easy read as it is so well written, the content requires strength from the reader. How can any one person cope with not only her own problems but those of friends and family as well? I was so impressed by the lack of self-pity from the author, and her strength shines through on every page. So many events were beyond her control, and how she copes is a lesson to so many of us who will never face the difficult situations that crop up one after the other. This is a work of bravery; not only the tale of her life but the courage to share her story with the public worldwide. It is a testament to the survival of the human spirit. I also liked the photographs included at the beginning of the chapters as they enhance the narrative and help the reader connect with the author.