Compelling New Memoir Reveals Abuse, Adversity, and a Mother’s Will to Survive

Mia Odyssey Taking Back Soul

“A testament to the human spirit and triumph of willpower!”

– Detroit Free Press

“I knew that, for the first time in my life, I had to fight back.”

– Mia Odeh

About Mia Odeh

Mia Odeh was born in Palestine, the youngest of thirteen children in a prosperous family. At age sixteen, Mia became a child bride when her family arranged for her to be married to a man more than twice her age. Her new husband took her from the familiarity of her Arabic speaking homeland to the new and daunting world of Phoenix, Arizona, where Mia learned that her distaste and fear of him was warranted. Mia endured years of physical and sexual assault, bore him five children, and was forced to move from Arizona to Qatar and back, and eventually to Michigan.

Despite the cruelty of her circumstances, Mia never stopped dreaming of a different life for herself and her children. While suffering continuous abuse, Mia studied English in secret and saved small amounts of money, in hopes that she and the children might one day escape. When the abuse increased to the point where it attracted the attention of the neighbors and the police, Mia and the children were able to find shelter in a safe house.

This new beginning was not without its own ups and downs, including the birth of another child to a man who took advantage of Mia’s vulnerable state and stole everything she had. With relentless tenacity and dedication, Mia started again to try and regain stability for herself and her six children. In 2019, with the help of a mentor, Mia made a list of bold goals. She is now completing a degree in criminal justice, has a job in senior management, and has been able to purchase her own home. In spite of the years of abuse Mia suffered and ongoing estrangement from her own family in Palestine, she and her children have managed to pull themselves up from rock bottom to achieve an incredible degree of success.

A child bride. An abusive marriage. A tenacious woman.

A champion mother’s testimony! Mia’s Odyssey is a memoir that surveys feminism, racism, ethnic violence, domestic abuse, parental rights and more. Reading this immersive and compelling story is an unforgettable experience. Very highly recommended.

Grady Harp

Amazon Hall of Fame Top 50 Reviewer

Book Trailer

Excerpts from Mia Odeh’s Debut Memoir

Mia’s Odyssey: Taking Back My Soul

By Mia Odeh with Mike Ball

“I sat with my hands folded on my lap, wearing my long black dress and black hijab. My mother was chatting and laughing with two women, while a thoroughly unpleasant man sitting near her stared at me with what I could only interpret as a sort of curious lust. I was fifteen years old, and I was doing my best to be invisible, but it obviously wasn’t working.

I was the youngest of thirteen children…Three other children in our family died as toddlers…I’m not sure how I know this, because my mother never spoke of the children she lost, but those three siblings were buried somewhere under our house.

My mother…was not a nice woman. She ruled the house and my father in a sort of simmering rage. I don’t know how any mother could hate her daughters, but I really believe that my mother did.

My brothers…were the important ones, and we were just there to make them happy. They had been taught that girls are an inferior species, and they were happy to embrace that teaching.

I tend to speak of every member of my family in the past tense. This is because I have no contact with my family any more. The way my life has unfolded is not acceptable to their way of thinking, and they have cast me out as not worthy of our family name.”

Mia’s Odyssey: Taking Back My Soul

By Mia Odeh with Mike Ball

Mia’s story should be a lesson to us all not to ignore the plights of others. That someone did step in and gave her a glimmer of hope, she did get help and support, and now we can read her story and marvel at her tenacity, despite everything…Heartrending, compelling, this is a story everyone should read. Highly recommended!

Susan Keefe

Midwest Book Review

Mia’s Odyssey is a testament to the human spirit and triumph of willpower despite seemingly insurmountable odds… Though not for the faint of heart, Mia’s Odyssey is life-affirming and shows the reader that love can conquer even in the worst situations…This is a book that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading and warm your heart with its promising ending. Highly recommended.

John J. Kelly

Detroit Free Press

A champion mother’s testimony! Mia’s Odyssey is a memoir that surveys feminism, racism, ethnic violence, domestic abuse, parental rights and more. Reading this immersive and compelling story is an unforgettable experience. Very highly recommended

Grady Harp

Amazon Hall of Fame Top 50 Reviewer

Mia’s Odyssey is a compelling, uplifting book that can be difficult to emotionally digest… it is also rewarding because her will to survive is strong, her ability to bend but not break is admirable, her love for the children more powerful than the abuser’s muscles.

Brad Butler

Author

Heartbreaking and rich with hope, Mia’s Odyssey reveals the resilience of the human spirit in the midst of the darkest situations. This story draws attention to issues of domestic abuse and intimate partner violence, and shows the critical role neighbors, police, and safe houses can play in helping women and children to escape such desperate situations. This is a must read.

Jessica Tofino

Educator and Writer

Mia’s Odyssey is a story about a mother’s life of courage, resilience, and determination with which she creates a new life for herself and her children. This is an uplifting book about moving past abuse. Mia focuses on pushing through the stages of trauma from an abusive relationship and creating a meaningful life.

Kurt Tyszkiewicz

Plymouth-Canton Community Schools

We are proud to have supported Mia Odeh as she exhibited determination, perseverance, and courage through her experience within an abusive relationship. Our police department values our role in supporting anyone coping with traumatic events by ensuring they are safe and providing resources to empower them toward a positive outcome.

Chad Baugh

Police Chief
Canton, MI

Mia Odeh’s memoir of surviving Domestic and Sexual Violence is a testament to the resilience of a survivor. Ms. Odeh had countless barriers in the way of her and her children’s safety, and one by one, she overcame them all to save herself and her children from violence. Ms. Odeh’s story shows the hard realities survivors of domestic violence face, but also the hope, help, and freedom that can be possible for survivors. Furthermore, Ms. Odeh’s story is an example of the love of a mother and her dedication to her children to free them from an abusive home and help them heal and thrive.

Lori Kitchen-Buschel

Executive Director of First Step
a Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Nonprofit Agency

I’ve been fortunate enough to call Mia a constituent and even more fortunate to call her a friend. Her story is one of courage and overcoming the odds. This book is a must-read.

Matt Koleszar

Michigan State Representative