Not My Circus: Triumph Over Abuse, Trauma & Family Secrets—A Journey to Self-love, Pride & Remarkable Resilience (ResilientAF)

In Not My Circus, Delicia Niami recounts her life experiences from teenagehood to adulthood. Delicia grew up with an absent father, a mother who worked long hours to provide, and a strained relationship with her older brothers. She suffered sexual abuse from a young age and was exposed to drugs and alcohol as a young adult. Delicia left home after high school and explored her freedom.

She found roommates and friends, worked multiple jobs, pursued higher education, and supported the gay rights movement. In this memoir, we learn of her battle with addiction, health challenges, dating history, family crisis, and the murder of her mother. Through the pages of the book, readers can follow her healing journey and be inspired by her story.

Delicia’s story is touching and hypnotic. It got to a point when I didn’t know what to expect anymore and I had to brace myself for the next pages. As the story continued to unfold, all I could think of was that I’m grateful she survived it all. Delicia Niami is a strong woman; despite everything she has been through, she continues to persevere and make the best use of the gift of life. When I read about her mother’s murder, I cried because no one deserves to go through what she experienced.

It’s unfortunate that in most of the memoirs I’ve read, the women have experienced sexual abuse, and it’s usually by people they trust. Most of the abusers go scot-free either as a result of the incident not being reported due to shame or the law enforcement officers not pursuing the case. In Delicia’s case, she was still blamed for being raped because she was inebriated. However, I’m glad she went through the healing process and realized everything that happened to her was not her fault.

Although Delicia is not perfect, I love her personality. She strikes me as a diligent employee, a great friend and companion, humorous in nature, and an adventurer. I enjoyed reading about her travels and the many friends she has made in her lifetime. As I continued reading the book, I prayed she would find the utmost happiness and even meet someone who loved her wholeheartedly. From this book, I learned that we often assume that family will always be there for us, but in some cases, they may be the ones who cause us pain. Sometimes a stranger can become the savior we end up needing during difficult times.

This was an intriguing story. Delicia is a special woman, and I want to commend her for sharing her story. Not My Circus by Delicia Niami is a memoir I won’t forget for a long time.