Author shares message of healing in book series

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Ashley Monique knows brokenness takes many forms, and cuts deep into places others can’t always see. After all, she has lived it.

“I had to go through hell and high water to stay sane, to get to where I am today,” Monique said.

The Montgomery author has a self-help devotional book series “Reconnecting My Brokenness: Tips to Renew Your Mind,” the third part of which was published in December. She’s a professor in the sociology and social work department at Auburn University Montgomery, teaching about alcohol, drugs and society, and the history of social welfare. She’s also both an entrepreneur and has her own nonprofit for underprivileged families.

“What inspires me is my purpose, and I know that my purpose is not for me,” Monique said. “My purpose is to help other people.”

She was the oldest of several children while growing up in west Montgomery. Their mother raised them alone. Monique also has a huge extended family.

“My grandmother, also a single mother, had 10 kids. They probably lived in all the projects on the west side of Montgomery,” Monique said. “I am one of almost 30 grandkids.”

When Monique’s books began publishing, she said her family wasn’t happy with the revelations. She had a challenging childhood, including being a victim of molestation. She’d even kept that from her mom, until her first book told of it in 2019.

“I never shared with her who the person was either,” Monique said. “[Mom] still is upset about that to this day. But I feel like that doesn’t matter at this point.”

There were many other issues for young Monique.

“I grew up an angry child,” she said. “I was very mad. I had a horrible attitude.”

But Monique was also exceptionally smart and was accepted into Montgomery’s magnet school program. That led to its own form of brokenness.

“I never quite felt like I fit,” Monique said. “I would go to school with the magnet kids, but I would be a little too ‘hood’ for them. But then, I would come back to my surroundings, and I felt like I was a little bit better than them.”

As years passed, Monique questioned God about obstacles she’s been forced to overcome. She was kicked out of school, married and divorced early and forced to deal with domestic abuse, depression and thoughts of suicide, among other things.

She’s been revealing pieces of her journey in the books.

“I got to the point where I had to overcome that brokenness that I was going through,” she said.

What she’s come to realize is that she’s grown as her life’s pieces came back together. Monique became the first in her family to go to college. She earned a master’s degree in social work and a PhD in human and social services.

In addition to owning Ashley Monique LLC and promoting vendor events, Monique is also the founder and CEO of the nonprofit group CHANGE (Connecting Hands by Accommodating Necessary Growth for Everyone). Her nonprofit will soon renovate and open a building in west Montgomery. (changealabama.org)

As an author, the “Reconnecting My Brokenness” series offered both a chance to further heal herself and others.

“The overall view for the series is to provide individuals with tips to help renew their minds,” Monique said. “No matter what they’re going through, I want them to be encouraged and know that they can make it over.”