“A girl in West Virginia’s got only three choices.” Granny squinted at me across the bar. “She can get religion, get pregnant or get out. Do you understand me, little girl?” I twirled on the bar stool, drinking an RC Cola, as she wiped the counter top and picked up empty beer bottles. I understood her alright; I’d heard her say this – and other life lessons – at least a dozen times in my young life. I shook my head and she pointed at me directly. “I hope you do, ‘cause you don’t have much else to go on.” A tough, resilient, divorced and widow-woman for more than 40 years, she was watching out for my welfare, showing me what I’d need to be a strong woman.
About the Book
“Leaving: Sometimes You Have to Leave”
A Story of Resilience & Resourcefulness
by Janet Steele Holloway
Excerpt from the Book
“In April 1968, as dusk settled over the East Harlem neighborhood, I took pleasure walking around 116th Street. I felt safe, working in the community center with teenagers. Suddenly there was a scream; then another. People stopped, looked around, bewildered: what was happening? Cutting through the noise of the street came a louder, synchronized message from car radios and store loudspeakers blaring out the news that Dr. Martin Luther King had been assassinated. For a moment, time stopped. Disbelief. Groups gathered around radios and black and white televisions in store fronts. Shouts of Merciful God, this can’t be! Help us Jesus! mingled with Get that sumbitch and Kill Whitie! It all happened so fast. I hung onto the Do Not Park sign feeling faint, wondering how white Americans could be this crazy about the changes going on in America. One woman knelt in the street, hands held up to heaven, begging Jesus that it not be true…”
Book Reviews
For the book: “Leaving: Sometimes You Have to Leave”
“The successful founder of [Women Leading Kentucky] describes her rise from humble roots in [her second book], Leaving. Holloway is at her best when her self-reflection reaches deep…for example…she breaks down how the ingrained social ideal of women as wives caused her to repeatedly sabotage herself without realizing it. This memoir is a remembrance of an engaging life that has several high points.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Holloway’s journey took her from the rural coal mining town of Sarah Ann, WV, to the teeming streets of Manhattan and beyond. Like a familiar vacation spot, I find myself wanting to revisit pages and passages for the sheer pleasure of rediscovery. Keen perception and lucid descriptions!” – Charles Margolis, Owner, Interview Image Associates, LLC; Author “Did I Really Say That? The Complete Pageant Interview Guide”
“A compelling story of being held down, knocked around, and yet dragging yourself back up to finish the race and triumphing!” – Mary Morton
“What a fascinating life! Janet’s story of resilience and resourcefulness will both amaze and inspire you.” – Liz Cornish, Author: Pass It On: Priceless Advice from Highly Successful Women
“This is more than a memoir; insights into the way past experience influences psychology are wrapped in a delightful amalgamation of stories and dialogue.” – Dr. Lois Frankel, Author: Ageless Women, Timeless Wisdom and Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office
“Her life story reminded me of Forrest Gump’s: a roller coaster ride into the midst of pivotal societal events of the Sixties and Seventies — the beginnings of the civil rights struggle in Detroit and NYC, the assassinations of JFK and Dr. King, the women’s movement. Holloway’s journey is a ‘must read’ for every person who’s young or young at heart.” – Elaina Zuker, Author: 7 Secrets of Influence, You X Two: Peer Mentoring for Success, and more
“Told with rich humor and an honest voice, Leaving includes a cast of characters who are so real you expect them to walk off the pages and into your life. This story will resonate with anyone who has ever felt the urge to pack a suitcase and head out to find their place in the world! A highly enjoyable read that you won’t want to end!” – Marcia Thornton Jones, author/co-author of 132 books including WOODFORD BRAVE, and The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series
“In Leaving, Janet Holloway shares a powerful story that takes us from the hills of West Virginia to the streets of Harlem to the idyllic horse country of the Bluegrass. This is more than a memoir. It is a story of frailty, failure, perseverance and triumph. Adding authenticity and relevance, hers is not a linear journey, but a fickle trek characterized by emotional and professional mountain tops as well as dark valleys. This was a pleasure to read and offered insights not only into the author’s amazing life, but also into a changing world grappling with the societal evolution of the times.” – John Mitchell Johnson, author of Kudzu and Where I’m From: A Collection of Short Stories