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The book is a vivid account of a life lived at the margins of society in a country where class and access to quality of life would intersect with social determinants of health and dreams for a better future. The author’s compelling description of life in the favela is a breathtaking rendition of a life lived on the edge of a sharp knife where hunger, abuse, disregard, lack of opportunities and infrastructure, of sanitation and food would trigger multiple defense mechanisms of survival: A samba of survival.
How to outlive what one cannot control? Where is the light of the North Star to guide, like a focused laser beam, the spiritual strength to celebrate life and believe in the power of our inner strength? Maria Hogan’s biography is a source of inspiration in which answers to these and more questions are found.
Eliane Freund –
“Samba of Survival”: My Light Within” would read as a contra factual novel if it were not the author’s, Ms. Hogan’s, own inspiring memoir. Ms. Hogan’s improbable journey from the favelas of Brazil to productive personal and professional lives in America is an odyssey for the ages. The reader is guaranteed to be forever inspired to be a more productive human being by exposure to Ms. Hogan’s exemplary resilience, resourcefulness and. determination as chronicled in this memorable work.
Bruce Grower –
Samba of Survival My Light Within is a journey from poverty in a small town in northeastern Brazil to the favelas in the capital. It is an articulation of deprivation and an indictment of a deeply unequal and unjust society. It is also a heartwarming reflection on the human spirit of resilience.
Eliane Freund –
Ms. Hogan’s improbable odyssey from the favelas of Brazil to a productive life in America left me spellbound. I will forever be inspired by her candid accounts of trauma and resilience.
Sandy Lee Carlson –
Samba of Survival: My Light Within, a Memoir by Maria Leda Souza Hogan is both an eye-opener and a source of inspiration. Material poverty shapes Maria and her family during her formative years, and she tells the story in vivid detail so that the reader is transported to the favelas of Salvador in northeastern Brazil, feeling the gnaw of hunger, the indignity of abuse, and the desperate yearning for the opportunity to experience the freedom and security necessary to flourish. Maria’s inner light burns brightly as she grows up with open eyes and the self-respect necessary to insist on more and better for herself. Ultimately, she frees herself from the bindings of poverty and builds a successful life in the United States. This is a story about growing up in poverty in Brazil in the middle of the 20th century, but it is also the story of claiming autonomy in a world that would exploit, at worst, or ignore, at best its most vulnerable people. The reading rewards itself.
Cecilia Rodrigues –
Maria Leda Souza Hogan’s memoir tells the heartbreaking story of her family striving for survival in the least developed region of Brazil. Despite depicting poverty’s tragic reality, “Samba of Survival: My Light Within” is profoundly inspiring not only for its human truth, but also for the inherent hope it highlights.
Marina –
This memoir gripped me from the start and I could not put it down until I read it cover to cover. This is a story of incredible hardship, but Maria is a strong person and she worked hard to overcome the injustices in her life. This memoir is incredibly inspiring, and I urge everyone to read it right away!
Debbie Vernon –
Maria’s story is heartbreaking. With all that she went through just to survive is hard to fathom, but she never gave up on herself or her family. Read it and you will never take things for granted again. It truly is an amazing story told in a beautiful way.
Gabriela Garay –
As the daughter of a Brazilian family, and a senior in High School, I can speak freely that Maria Leda’s story perfectly portrays our culture as well as many people’s experiences in Brazil. Samba of Survival: My light within, tells the life story of a woman who flourishes and grows around the cruel reality of poverty in the slums of Brazil. Hunger is constant in the past life of Maria Leda, but the book is so much more than that. Through vivid stories, poems, and music mentioned throughout the story, you’ll smile and cry several times. It’s almost as if you can feel every joy and every pain that Leda describes. Every person with a heartbeat should read this book, specially teenagers. It inspires us to believe and it shows that no one, nor anything can delay those who were born to win. Her bravery in showing the world her real-life story is impressive. After many years of being silenced by a society that didn’t allow her to flourish, Leda will finally be heard and help others with the same circumstances have their voices heard too. With this memoir, you’ll learn to recognize and appreciate your privilege. Maria Leda de Souza, I’ve said it many times and I’ll say it again: your life story is admirable.
Nitzairis Rivera –
This book is a vivid representation of the power of over coming life’s struggles! The amount of detail allowed me to visually see what she went through growing up. This book is beautifully written and extremely powerful, such a great read! I appreciate her honesty in how hard she had it in her younger years. I met her in person and she is so lovely and kind, empowering and educated. Her growth is inspiring and I was so glad to meet her and read her novel! The book meant a lot to me because it shows change is possible!
Keishabell Ibarra –
Ms. Hogan was such an amazing sweet soul to have in class. She shared a few experiences that weren’t in the book. Her story is inspiring and makes you question a lot about what happens in other countries. Her memoir brings you on an emotional roller coaster in all the best ways. It was a pleasure to read this book in class and meet her in person.
Gri Saex –
Maria’s story got to my soul. Her survival and her presence being here today in front of us is a testament to her spirit and the human spirit. It was a reminder as well of our normalization of the systems of oppression many people live today. It is a call to action and connection. I was moved to tears of sadness and joy in many instances when I read about sleeping through extreme hunger, and sitting next to her mom as she told stories and sang. The small town and its people brought back memories of my own privileged childhood. I remembered children like Aninho who died from hunger in near by Campos, a classmate of mine in second grade Marianita. Every detail in this story became alive for me and has inspired me to take action. I can just not be still. This is a story of millions who unlike Maria lose their humanity and are forgotten, dismissed from our thoughts, erased from news and narratives. Maria thank you for being that light that you are and is there for us to see and be reminded of our biggest purpose as humans, to take care of each other. This book must be part of school readings all over the globe.
Rosalyn Bryant –
This book describes to me how the struggle is not just her’s but her sharing and her struggles is a living proof on how she overcame by the grace of God . I will continue reading the book. I can truly say that maria’s book is a blessing to make although she lives a rough and challenging life she is still standing ,sharing her experience , I would say
a testimony about her and her family and she went thru life .I applause her courage and
will to not give up and bring her story as it was written.
Rebecca Cammarere –
Samba of Survival: My Light Within, by Maria Leda Souza Hogan, is a captivating novel of Maria’s life. Her memories recounted are raw and vivid, and truly show the hardships that she overcame. I found myself amazed and horrified at some stories I was reading. I feel for her whole family at the conditions they endured, in which they had no control over, especially at such a young age. Even more than her childhood hardships, this book shows the determination and resilience that Maria needed to change the situation she was in. She overcame her physical and emotional state, while displaying kindness and compassion towards others. I, without a doubt, recommend this read to anyone.
M Biggane –
Maria’s book has stayed with me long after I put it down. I can still vividly picture so many of the scenes depicted within it’s pages. It, like her, is a triumph! The hardships endured never give way to despair, or nihilism. In fact quite the opposite! One leaves it with a sense of enduring hope and affirmation in the human condition. A lovely read!