Never one to shy away from sensitive topics, Bernice McFadden takes readers into the world of the Trokosi. In simple terms, Trokosi are girls given by their family to a deity as a sacrifice in exchange for better luck, fortune or things along those terms. Adebe Tsikata is such a girl, but she's also a survivor.Growing up in Accra, Ghana, Adebe leads a charmed life. Her father, Kwasi, with a degree from an English university, works as a government accountant. Her mother, Lemusi, a former model, is a teacher. They lead an extremely comfortable life and Adebe is the apple of their eye.
Adebe is just as fortunate to have an aunt that adores her. Aunt Serwa spoils Adebe whenever she visits from the United States. The two share an unbreakable bond and Serwa promises that one day she'll send for Adebe to visit her in the states.
With so many people that love her, how does Adebe become Trokosi? Superstition, lack of faith and jealousy on the parts of her grandmother and father are probably the easiest explanations, but it goes farther than that. The end result, though, is that Adebe is forced from the only home she's known into an existence that bares great resemblance to hell on earth.
My Name is Butterfly is a remarkable story of surviving some of the worst circumstances known to men, rebuilding yourself and learning to survive again and again. McFadden is indeed a master storyteller.
Available in Nook & Kindle format only
Published: April 2012
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