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By Root 1113 0

you. Always have, always will. As some of our more mischievous friends say, “And there ain’t nothing you can do about it!” I cherish our home, our four-legged family, and our quiet time, which has so often been my port in the storm. For a girl who grew up unsure who her emergency person was, I sure am lucky it became you.

Speaking of home, this inventory must include Jamie Mangrum, our exceptional housekeeper, whom we rather seriously call “the mortar between the bricks.” In a real sense, Jamie, without home, I do fall down, and thus the logic goes, you hold me up. Thank you.

To recovering folks everywhere: Although it has been said, “We are people who would not normally mix,” you are my brothers and sisters. Wherever I go, I know we share the sunlight of the spirit, and I am grateful to trudge this road of happy destiny with you. It is my humble prayer that in some way this book thanks you for carrying the hope of recovery to me, and that it can also carry the message to those who still suffer. If one person who reads this book receives the suggestion that a simple and practical plan of action can lead you to a God of your own understanding, relieve you of the burdens of your past, and help you to live as God intended, precious, empowered, and free, then in my opinion, the book is as successful as Kentucky’s 1996 National Championship team.

And, of course, to the God of my understanding: Thank you for doing for me what I cannot do for myself, and especially for my beloved grandparents and all the animals you have put in my life, Buttmemilk, Shug, Percy, Audrey—goodness, the list is long! They have shown me what you mean by unconditional love, which in some measure, I am thus able to pass on. Oh, how I love you. Thy will be done.

NOTES

The following notes are not meant to be a complete list of the sources consulted in the writing of this book, but rather a guide for further inquiry. Most of the facts and figures have been derived from multiple sources, including original research by Population Services International and reports published by United Nations agencies and the World Bank. In some cases, I have cited the sources for unique or hard-to-come-by facts, and in others, I have added extra clarification. For more information on each country, please see www.unicef.org/infobycountry.

Prologue

1 The residents are mostly women and children: According to the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), there are 43.3 million refugees and other forcibly displaced people in the world, and nearly 80 percent of them are women and children. In 2009, fromer president Bill Clinton appointed me to CGI Lead, a group of twenty-five global leaders under the age of forty-five committed to developing innovative solutions to pressing challenges. In September 2010, my cohorts and I announced a Commitment to Action called “Rethink Refugees” to address the refugee crisis, with special emphasis on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It includes an awareness campaign and a pilot initiative that will help thousands of displaced people in Congo by focusing on replicable programs in the areas of economic empowerment, education, and energy. For more information, please see www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/lead/refugees/.

2 Famed human rights activist: I traveled to the eastern Congo with John Prendergast, cofounder of the Enough Project, an initiative to end genocide and crimes against humanity. For more information about Enough and its campaign against conflict minerals in Congo, please see www.enoughproject.org. Our meeting with President Paul Kagame took place in Kigali, Rwanda, on September 1, 2010. Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo was also in attendance.

Chapters 1 and 2

1 Make sense of my own past: Many of the details of my family history come from stories my parents and grandparents have told me over the years. Several relatives were extremely helpful in filling in the blanks: my father, Michael Ciminella; my great-aunts Todie Beilie and Ramona Sexton; my aunt Margaret Mandell; my uncle Mark Judd; my cousins Sherry Sager,