In Contempt of Fate

In Contempt of Fate is Beatrice Fernando’s gripping and moving account of how she, a young Sri Lankan mother, fled from brutal slavery in Lebanon to—ultimately—a longed-for freedom in America. Forced to work as a housemaid for a cruel Lebanese woman who beat and starved her, Ms. Fernando finally escaped this torment by leaping from a fourth story balcony, an act of desperation that left her paralyzed. Ms. Fernando’s harrowing, profoundly human account of how she defied impossible odds to walk again—and to achieve a much-cherished freedom in America—will inspire readers everywhere.