"I cannot express enough the admiration, respect, and love that I have for my husband as well the veterans, active duty personnel, and the rest of the military community. It is not easy to comprehend until you walk my path and theirs." Beyond The Shadow of 3000 Pairs of Shoes: A Story of Hopelessness, Persistence, and Survival is a memoir. Not until she sat down to begin writing did she realize that her life is the story of a woman who overcame poverty and homelessness, married the love of her life, and embraced the struggles of being a military wife. She never thought that her days living on the streets of Manila as a runaway would provide her with incredible strength, something that would prepare her for military life, where her husband was often away for long stretches of time. She grew up in the Philippines during the Marcos Regime. Dictatorships have a way of making one feel extremely small and insignificant. It didn't help that she had a tumultuous childhood where the idea that she was ugly and unwanted was something that she grew accustomed to hearing. One day she finally had enough and ran away from home. She wanted to take her life back and rule her own destiny. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that this would lead her to her husband, or that she would become a citizen of the United States, visit beautiful places in Europe, and later return to school to earn a PhD. She hopes that this book evokes more than just sadness, but allows those who think that their life is hopeless to realize that one of the most effective resources for dealing with the immense hardships and never-ending challenges of life is yourself; keep taking action and never give up.
About the Author: Merjjena B. Hemp received her Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction with a Minor in Educational Learning Technologies at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She has a passion for helping women and children, advocacy organizations that are supporting the abused, homeless, and runaways. As the spouse of a military veteran and an educator, she uses her background to engage different communities that include the military as well as the Arab Muslim communities in hard conversations about our lives in the post-9/11 era. She is currently completing her second book, Beyond the Shadow of September: Exploring the Multiple Perspectives of Arab Muslim Women's Experiences in the Post-9/11 Era. She plans to return to the academic setting where she can utilize her experiences, strengths, enthusiasm, and commitment to educate and empower students, so they too can empower and advocate for others who are left and forgotten as she once was, living under the shadow of 3000 pairs of shoes.