Ruby Slippers: Fairy Tales My Mother Told Me. Real Life Truths I Never Told Her

by Michelle Davis-Newell

Michelle Davis-Newell is a native to Chicago who wrote and published her first book in 2006 and co-authored an anthology shortly after.

She also has a passion for film and screenwriting and is the Vice-President of UrbanScope Productions, LLC. She has written several screenplays, including a short film entitled Roses Out Of Concrete.

Michelle continues her passion in helping others as the Director of Programs with a not for profit organization in Chicago, Illinois.

Unknown Binding

First published May 1, 2013

About the author

Award-winning author Michelle Davis-Newell was born and raised on the south side of Chicago. As a child, she was shy and withdrawn due to relentless bullying that impacted her self-esteem. This isolation nurtured her creative side, leading her to a love for reading and writing. In 1980, at just ten years old, she submitted a hand-written thirty-page novel to Harlequin Romance, along with a heartfelt letter expressing her dream of becoming an author to lift her family out of poverty. Although she received a rejection letter, Michelle was ecstatic to get a response.

Despite excelling academically, Michelle's home life became tumultuous, and by 21, she was a single mother of three on welfare. Refusing to succumb to her circumstances, she challenged any complacency, eventually achieving economic self-sufficiency. In 2016, she fulfilled a promise to her late mother by returning to school and earning a bachelor’s degree in education.

Michelle's passion for writing never waned. She independently published her first novel, "Ain’t Understandin Mellow?" in 2006, and contributed to the anthology "The Shattered Glass Effect'' in 2007. Her memoir, "Ruby Slippers: Fairy Tales My Mother Told Me, Real Life Truths I Never Told Her," was released in 2013. After a hiatus following the tragic loss of her younger brother in 2018, Michelle is set to release her latest novel, "The Bag Ladies of Ebondale," in fall 2024.

Together with her husband, Michelle founded Scribe-Rite Publishing LLC, continuing her commitment to storytelling and inspiring others through her words.

Reviews

[T.A. Beasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the beginning pages of this book I knew it would be one that I would not be able to put down. This author gave such detailed autobiographical accounts when she was a child that made me cringe. The author was born to a teenage mother that raised her alone on the mean streets of Chicago’s South side after the child’s father was killed. At a time when the people in her life were supposed to protect her she suffered the most pain by their hands. Despite all the torment and struggles she faced she succeeded in school. Traveling down a road of generational self-destruction she got her life together and with three children to care for she was destined to show them that you don’t always have to fall victim to your circumstance.

I shook my head repeatedly throughout this book as the author gave such vivid accounts of things in her past I wished someone would take her out of those tragic situations. The author’s rise above all the dysfunction that seemed to cloud her life is inspiring to women young and old. This was well written and I applaud the author for sharing her story and I wish her nothing but the best. For those that want a quick read this book is full of detail but not very lengthy, but it takes nothing away from the story line. This is a book that will stick with you after you turn the last page and on that note I look forward to reading more from this author.

This book was provided by the author for review purposes only.

Tracy Cooper
A&RBC Review
5 Stars=Non-Stop Page Turner

[Sheila ingram · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for women and men..

This book hit so close to home, I'm pretty sure all that have read it could relate. I'm going to have all my children read Ruby Slippers: Even if I have to read it to them. It touches on facts that you are well aware of but still we wear blinders. It took me one day to read this book i just couldn't put it down until I was done. This author is an amazing woman and all around wonderful person I love you mimi..

[OOSA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lessons Learned

Michelle Davis-Newell is what I call a repeat offender. Growing up, she witnessed and experienced some rather traumatic episodes. She didn't understand them at the time. When she believed herself to be grown, she found herself in some of the same, if not worse, situations. Will she play victim and put the blame on her upbringing?

When I first started reading “Ruby Slippers,” I had the hardest time staying focused. I actually had to put the book down and start over. It started out slow but picked up. Upon completion, I realized why I was having a time. I found myself able to relate to Davis-Newell. It's so easy to say what you wouldn't do when you see folks having a rough time. When you find yourself going through the exact same thing, your outlook completely changes. She shares her experiences in a way that you walk away learning from her circumstances. I would highly recommend this book because it encourages you to look within yourself to begin healing.

Reviewed by: Jas

[Rae South-Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author did a very good job of painting a mental picture of how being brought up in an undesirable environment and rising to the top through everything she had been through in her life. It was nice to have an author share their experience and how they handled certain circumstances. Though some decisions may not have been the correct way to handle the situation, the author did a great job of showing how she grew from her experiences and learned lessons as she came up. It was a great way to pass the knowledge that she had gained on to others that might be going through similar struggles. I would recommend this book to anyone going through hard times and unable to figure out what to do or how to handle certain things so that they might be able to learn from the knowledge passed on by this author in Ruby Slippers. It was very apparent that this author has written this book in a way that she could share her wisdom and I personally think she did a great job in doing so!