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Cover design by Kabba B. Tate-Anderson // Newspapers // Sofi's Load Shop
No Means No: The Aftermath is a powerful outcry
against social injustice, child abuse, and violence against women.
Collaborating with other women poets, Fania Simon passionately explores
the pain of the victims, drawing upon her own experiences to formulate a
spiritual unity with all those who have suffered. Touching upon many
themes, such as rape and child abuse, one of the things that Ms. Simon
does exceptionally well is capture the voice of the disenfranchised. Her
words are ripe with emotion, and are always deeply moving. It is a pain
that has been stifled and silenced, that she seeks to bring to the
forefront. However she does not stop there. Perhaps one of the most
powerful aspects of No Means No: The Aftermath is Simon’s thorough
analysis of humanity as a whole. With poems such as “Upside Down
Humanity” she forces the reader to look through the spiritual abyss and
question the callous cruelties of humanity. Beautifully crafted, potently
delivered, and courageously written No Means No: The Aftermath is
a spiritually and mentally uplifting text. It is a call to arms to all
those who have been victimized and who wish to reclaim their strength and
dignity. Most of all No Means No: The Aftermath is a living
testament that there is life after the devastation and that if one simply
taps into the inner depths of one’s soul, they will find that there is
glory in the aftermath.
Fania, I am very touched by your poems and can hear each poem's unique own heartbeat as I take the time to sit, read and be with it. They are all wonderful and special and pulsate with their own meanings. I am very happy you created them, decided to collect them and send them out into the world. I am also very touched by the poems your dear friends contributed to your collection. They all gave birth to something great, and shared it with you, their friend, and, consecutively with all the readers of your book. How truly divine! Thank you again, it meant so much to me... With much love, Evie
Fania Simon's Sofi's Load: A Review by Tamarva Butler Sofi's Load is a tragic real life story of a 9 year old girl named Sofi. She was born in Haiti and is often unappreciated in her family and physically abused for things she does not do or things her sister does. Yet, her parents’ one desire is for her to be married, but remain a virgin up until that time. Through her journey, she experiences a truly sad incident of being raped by Baron and thus leads her family out on a mission to get him caged. Time after time again, The main character, Sofi would move to new locations only to find that more people refused to let her forget the rape she had experienced. My view Load: Sofi's Load was the type of novel that catches people's attention. It's powerful and moving. It makes you want to get up out of your seat and do something to help Sofi. It got me so involved. I was angry at the abuse that Sofi experienced, especially being so young. The writer of the book, Fania Simon, is so passionate in her words. The story is ocean deep. If you ever want to take a journey, the adventure is in this book. As I read, I can visualize the situation in my head. It was the first novel I have ever completely finished. I recommend this book to all people. It is choice, first rate, and many people will love it. It is the type of book to get an abundant amount of attention. Simon does more than just present a story. She takes you there like a plane ready for take off, and she lands you at the exact right spot. Everything is well organized from the beginning; she does not waste any time. Her talent is rich indeed. Her work evokes much respect and applause. She is a true leader and what all writers have to look up to. ~ Tamarva Butler ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fania Simon's Sofi's Load: A Review by Antoinette LobbonI find Sofi's Load to be a riveting tale. Thank you Fania for sharing it. On many occasions while reading your book, I had so many different emotions going on in my head. I wanted to reach into the book and take away some of Sofi’s pain. While reading, I find myself shouting, “run away,” or, “kill him/her” and the people that were inflicting pain upon little Sofi. I remember while reading through the story, I was on my way to my dentist, and the minute I arrived there, my Hygienist asked me, “what's the matter with you? You are always happy and smiling, but today you are sad, what happened?” Then, I suddenly realized my own sadness in reading your story. Everything was showing on my face. Yes, I took it personal and wanted to inflict pain upon your parents, for not caring enough, on your sister, your brother, your friends, your teachers, the police just all the evil people that you mentioned in the book. Girl, I really have a new appreciation for you, just knowing how much pain and tribulations you endured YET, you still stand strong! This book deserves a nobel prize for literature! Your life story deserves a medal of honor! The story was spellbinding and it hits home for me. I know this story is destined, and many good things will come out from it because it will touch many lives just like it touched my life. This, I am sure of, Lifetime here comes Fania Simon!!! P.s, what happen to the continuation? I am impatiently waiting for part 2!!! Good bless you,
Antoinette Lebbon Fania Simon's Sofi's Load: A Review by K. Augustin, a contributing Poet to Ms. Simon's latest book No Means No: The Aftermath I give Sofi's Load a 9/10 simply because there is a part 2, that
I am waiting for...
I don't want to ruin it for you guys. If you are from Haiti,
this book will take you back, If you are not from Haiti, this
book will take you there.
If you don't like Sofi's Load (which I doubt) you have my
permission to talk trash about it. The girl is good. Period
[Point final.] ***highly recommended*** by K. Augustin (Mizz B.)
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Fania Simon's Sofi's Load: A Review
by fieryredflames
I really enjoyed the book. The ending was not quite what I expected but it gives you a good laugh. The story is sad and hard to read especially about a child that age. Make sure you know basic Kreyol because there are few words in there. All in all, good book.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Well what can I say, I read the story in a day and it hurts because through Sofi I was able to finally face my own life occurrences. My dad raped me when I was a child until my teenage years and the only person I had the courage to tell was also a rapist. I did not know that then until it was too late. So, I can't tell you how deeply I relate to the character Sofi. One day I wish to tell my story but as for now. I am just here... I love you Fania for lending me some of your courage to face my own story. ~Anonymously yours, (FL.)
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It’s about a young
girl’s tribulations while growing up in Haiti. She had to overcome
several of Satan’s campaigners who tried to destroy her being. All
the way through this child kept fighting for her life. Fania Simon
has taken her damaged childhood and turned it all around into a
powerful voice of healing for the sake of helping others who are
going through the same hell. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Fania
Simon's Sofi's Load: A Review by Author Castina Charles
Castina Charles, Author of Baad ass
Poetry
Iya
Sangotola
Hello Fania! -Marie Fania Simon's Sofi's Load: A Review by Damion Trent In the text Sofi 's Load the author, Fania Simon gives a chilling and torrid account of her early childhood experiences in Haiti and America. Haiti as we know is a country that was once inhabited with indigenous people who were pillaged and destroyed in the 1500s by Spanish and then French colonizers. In 1803, they gained independence, through constant insurgence led by Boukman, Toussaint, and Dessalines, which culminated in the aforesaid year. In 1915 American troops invaded Haiti and took advantage of the people's resources and set up a form of capitalist slavery. Haiti is still affected by this as evidence by the repugnant behavior of the individuals in Sofi's Load. Family members and family friends were constantly physically and emotionally abusing the protagonist Sofi. This abuse goes to show that in her life it seems as though her worst enemies were the people she wanted to love the most. From the very inception of the book the main character, Sofi who is also the narrator is treated quite differently from her sister Ozana, "Their mother would always praise Ozana for having done such a good job but would never praise Sofi for the same work done" (4). When her mother Isabella was upset with her, she had quite a denuding way of treating her as evidenced by the following "she would punch her all over and call her degrading names like ti-pitin, little bitch, and ravette chauder, red roach, which referred negatively to Sofi's skin color" (4). Ironically, Sofi, her mother and grandmother have the same skin color. We are told in the novel "Sofi was very different from the rest of her siblings. She followed her mind and questioned everything. That used to get her in lots of trouble with her parents" (2). An important factor in the relationship that Sofi has with her parents is based on the fact that she was oftentimes beaten because she had her own mind. She was not the type a person to accept the status quo, so she was beaten into conformity. Despite all of this she loved her parents deeply and describes them as being beautiful people whom she was proud of. Her mother is what some would call a bush doctor; she had great ability curing the sick with natural medicine. She could not pursue her natural inclinations because of the overbearing influence of her husband, which goes to stress the impact of male chauvinism. The dominance of the male figure is a European construct. Sofi's father wrote and he was a Christian minister, but he worked right under the white Christian missionaries. The inability of Sofi's father to act after the rape of her daughter may be explained by his Christian influence. This is odd because white missionaries have always been responsible for the contribution of the denigration of African people (black people). As a matter of fact, when Sofi rides on a bus with her mother to go and see her grand mother, her mother starts preaching. The people on the bus laugh at her mother because they know the God she worships does not resemble her at all. This Sofi finds to be quite amusing. One has to remember that the worship of that white Jesus is a European colonizing image. Its sole purpose is to destroy the minds and souls of the people conquered by the wicked Caucasian imperialistic thugs. Boukman, the man responsible for the beginning of the Haitian revolution in August 22, 1791, was known for perfuming Vodun ceremonies before going to battle against the French. In fact, the worshiping of a European image of God leads to some very detrimental brainwashing and debasing of one's culture. Thus, historically speaking it was the African spirituality called Voodoo/Vodun, which led the Haitian people to freedom. Ironically, when the U. S began its invasion of Haiti in 1915, Vodun was banned. It was banned because anytime the Europeans invaded a nation; they have to ban the existing religion in order to fully colonize the minds of the oppressed. In addition, Vodun was a rallying point for revolution. After the ban of Vodun, the Catholic priests came in and began the conversion of the Haitian people, which made them suffer mightily from the invasion of the whites. This is one of the main elements used to drive us as African people out of our minds, and may explain the reason for the abusive tendencies of family and friend in Sofi's Load. Sofi, therefore, becomes the ultimate victim of this brainwashing and debasing of the Haitian culture by foreigners. Sofi is even abused and beaten by her grandmother. While in her care, she is raped by a man named Baron who was a family friend. He was the brother of a preacher known to Sofi's father. Baron took advantage of the blackout that befell the island and he a man in his mid twenties commits a destructive act of violence by forcibly defiling the nine-year-old Sofi. When she goes back to the house, this information is eventually told to her family members present at that time. The family took her to the police station, but little Sofi was afraid of the Macoutes. Her fear of the Macoutes made not to speak out. The Macoutes had a reputation of oppressing and murdering innocent citizens. Afterwards Baron is locked up, but when they go to court the, judge says he does not believe she was raped and then the despicable bastard says Sofi should marry Baron because he spoiled her. Based on their Christian beliefs, these people lived by their belief that if a woman engaged in sexual activity before she became married, that she was some how spoiled and, therefore, no man would want her. The situations worsen as she proceeds to the hospital. The events at the court represent a second rape for Sofi. The doctors who were supposed to check to see if she was a virgin sexually abused her during their medical evaluation of her. These disrespectful examples of human scum, were shoving their hands in her vagina laughing saying that it was too big so she could not have been a virgin prior to the attack. They would place their fingers into a nine-year-old girl laughing and smiling the whole time dehumanizing her--just like the white slave masters used to do and still do to this day. The slave masters would sexually violate the Black (enslaved) women on their plantations. Again, Sofi becomes violated a third time. Directly after this terrifying ordeal, the people who live in proximity to her as a result of the rape subject Sofi to constant inquiries and ridicule. Even when she goes to school there are teachers who pass her notes saying they love her and would like to have sex with her. As a result of all these and to avoid shame on the family, Sofi's parents decide that it would be best for her to go to the U. S. The motivating factor in sending her to the U. S. is the good name of the family, not for the healing of Sofi. Unfortunately her father’s friend Alrick who is a Christian, rapes her. Alrick's supposed Christian principles deceived both Sofi and her father to trusting him. This attitude questions the Christian principles of the followers of the religion. This grown ass man named Alrick takes her to see an Adult movie and makes her massage his phallus. Eventually he too would raped her, despite the fact that he happens to be a Christian, family friend, who has a wife and kids. Soft's Load will make you laugh, cry and become incessantly angry about the treatment Sofi endures. When her father found out she was raped the first time in Haiti, he suggested several timed that she should marry Baron. Children look up to their parents for protection, but those who are supposed to protect them do not protect them. Thus, they tend to mistrust, and therefore withdraw into themselves. This explains why Sofi never informed anyone of subsequent rape incidents. The effects of posttraumatic slave syndrome and colonialism are undeniably prevalent in this text. If one can read this text and not feel any remorse or emotion for what happens to Sofi then something is wrong with the person reading the book. The author Fania Simon truly captures your heart body and soul in this autobiographical text. There are many people who write text containing similar themes found in Sofi's Load, but most of them have failed to bring out the underpinning causes of destructive human behavior.
Simon with ease makes you feel as though you are living the story of
her life. This is also solidified by beautiful poetry used by the
author to give you a hint of what is going to come in the following
chapter of the book. She even makes you want to assassinate the
people who are responsible for the tears she has shed over the
years. When a person finishes comprehending the text, they will have
gone through an emotional roller coaster. This story is a rather a
melancholic one to be told, but I am so glad that the author had the
courage to share her life story with us. A story such as this will
help African women (Black women) who experience similar wrongs to cope with such
issues in a constructive manner. In addition, African men (Black
men) must
restore their women to their regal position of ancient times, or
else our woman will continue to face these obstacles of terror. |
![[cover thumbnail]](http://static.lulu.com/items/volume_44/270000/270945/6/preview/detail_270945.jpg?270945-0)
