Deadranne Baston-Morrison confronts her pseudo-Christianity with first book

There’s a lot going on for Deadranne Baston-Morrison and it’s not all smooth sailing.

However, this young St Ann woman keeps rising to the occasion, continues to thrive and recently scored a major victory with the self-publication of her first book, Suffering in Silence: Confronting my Pseudo-Christianity.

Baston-Morrison has been trained in several areas. Most significantly, she holds a degree in gender and development studies, with a minor in management, obtained from The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona.

At The UWI, she was ex officio to the Guild of Students, and was instrumental in getting an elected representative for the Guild to represent the Institute for Gender and Development Studies (IGDS).

She is also trained in motor vehicle repairs - cars and light trucks - as she holds a level one certificate from Cornwall Automotive Training Institute (CATI) in that field, which she obtained in 2004, over a decade before she got her degree.

Baston-Morrison is also a certified customer service supervisor, is certified in Job Readiness Train the Trainer, and earlier this year was certified in Foundations of Project Management.

On the other side of the coin, though, Baston-Morrison’s personal storms still persist. For one, she is still deeply indebted to the Students’ Loan Bureau which she had to rely on for university funding.

To compound the situation, among other things, her son is being evaluated for autism, speech delays and other ailments.

The publication of her book, however, marks one of the most significant moments in her life. The 159-page book includes chapters such as Invitation to a Funeral, Facing Giants without Stones, Rejecting Rejection, The Enemy Within, and The History of Religion in Jamaica, which is focused on Christianity.

“The book is about my journey as a Christian and includes moments of my past that were unpleasant but showed how God used these areas for His glory,” Baston-Morrison told The Gleaner.

“The book is written to raise awareness of the struggle between what we see, experience, and expect, and what is required. This book is evidence that no matter what we have been through we can still dream, we can still become. I was brought from the dunghill to sit with princes and for this, I give God all the glory.”

The book’s publication is a victory of sort for the author. She was born in Brown’s Town, St Ann and later attended St Hilda’s Diocesan High School. When she was about 14 her family moved to Salt Spring, Montego Bay in 2002, and as a result she was transferred to Mount Alvernia High, an all-girls school. She graduated Mount Alvernia in 2004 with seven Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate subjects.

Five years later, in 2009, she moved back to St Ann “after a terrible incident that forever changed our family’s lives”.

Baston-Morrison said it was not until after that 2009 event when she struggled with suicidal thoughts and fears, that she thought about writing.

“I started by writing my feelings and prayers but still found writing anything others might hear or read, difficult,” she explained.

“Being an author was not my dream when I was younger, but I have learned that God’s will and our social structure are separate things. I was called God’s author in my later days before anyone ever knew I was writing. Growing up, I loved reading but always doubted that I had the imagination to write.”

She said her experiences as a Christian, interactions within the church, and the conversations with the elders at the church led her to writing the book.

“I wanted to help others with my story but could not speak. Hence, I chose writing as the best avenue. This would facilitate my speaking without me being in the room being judged by the reader. I do not pretend to know everything God wants, rather, I wrote from my experience and what God taught me. My story can help at least one person, if not now, then later and the book is most fitting for this.”

Baston-Morrison is grateful that her book is finally done and published. Her faith is unwavering and she firmly believes that things will get better in her life.

“God brought me to this and He will see me through. I believe that He can help anyone too,” said Baston-Morrison.

Suffering in Silence: Confronting my Pseudo-Christianity is available on Amazon.

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