1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
USA Anytime Anyplace -- Book Review, September 15, 2009
This review is from: USA Anytime Anyplace: A Journey Toward Survival And Self Worth (Paperback)
Sometimes I am simply in the mood for a light read that allows me to escape from my ordinary circumstances. Give me a simple romance or a fun adventure in which the good guy always comes out ahead. These novels pass the time and do not result in much lingering thought after the last pages are closed. In other instances, when my psyche is in a place of introspection, I enjoy books that challenge me to think and reflect on the circumstances that I face in my own life. With the new release USA Anytime Anyplace by Ercell Hoffman, the latter type of experience is the one that readers should expect. Hoffman offers us a psychological profile of a woman who is struggling with a series of hardships that seem to compound without a moment of respite.
Readers likely will not be able to relate to every hurdle that the main character, Kithira, must handle, but almost certainly will find at least one area of her life that resonates. As a woman, I connected with Kithira's struggle to receive respect in the workplace, her difficulty in finding a healthy relationship with a man, and the insecurities that comes from being a woman living alone. Others who pick up USA Anytime Anyplace may find themselves connecting with Kithira's legal battles stemming from racial discrimination she faces from employers. Or, perhaps you will recognize a bit of your own situation in the frustration that Kithira experiences in her neighborhood. You may never have purchased a shotgun and fired it into the ground as a way of silencing some troublesome people on your street, but you may be able to relate to the sentiment. When all of these situations come together, they weave a story of one woman's struggles and successes as she moves forward with a determination to excel in her life.
Author Ercell Hoffman does a wonderful job of taking her reading audience into the mind of Kithira Manoff and making us see the world through this character's perspective. By allowing us to be present not only for the major events in Kithira's life, such as the death of loved ones and her brave battles to defend her professional honor in federal courts, but also those everyday moments like dealing with an office nemesis or chatting with a girlfriend, we are given a complete portrait of the woman. Hoffman skillfully blends well-written dialogue, including a captivating scene in the latter half of the book in which Kithira faces lengthy questioning from attorneys concerning her claims of prejudice against her employers, with great descriptions of her protagonist's inner conflicts and feelings of self-doubt. We come to know Kithira Manoff as a woman who simply wants the recognition, respect, and peace of mind that she deserves.
Ercell Hoffman is an accomplished author who brings her strong writing background, as well as an education in counseling, to her new release USA Anytime Anyplace. With this expertise, she develops Kithira Manoff and a novel that reads almost like an intensely personal memoir. Anyone who wants to cheer for a woman who makes the decision to be strong despite the odds of the world being stacked against her will be glad that they decided to read USA Anytime Anyplace. And, just maybe you will find some way in which you can apply this indomitable spirit to overcome to your own lives as well.
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