PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARIA NHAMBU AND DANCING TWIGA PRESS

Staff Report

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – Speaker, educator, dancer and Aerobics With Soul creator Maria Nhambu will hold a special book signing of her second novel, “America’s Daughter” (Dancing Twiga Press), at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1, at the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, 170 NW 5 Ave. in Delray Beach.

The event is free and open to the public. Nhambu will share her thoughts and inspiration for the book and take questions and sign copies, which will be on sale afterward.

Nhambu grew up in an orphanage in Tanzania, east Africa, and endured abuse and neglect until she left at age 19 with her American teacher, Catherine Murray Mamer, to study at St. Catherine’s College (now university) in St. Paul, Minnesota. “America’s Daughter” is the second volume of her Dancing Soul trilogy following “Africa’s Child,” published in 2016.

“Africa’s Child” is the heartfelt story of Nhambu’s struggles in the orphanage and at school as a biracial child who suffered abandonment, abuse and loneliness as she dealt with her identity and fought to pursue her dream of education.

Despite being only four years older, Catherine Murray Mamer, a volunteer teacher in Tanzania, helped arrange a scholarship for Nhambu and became her American mother.

“America’s Daughter” continues Nhambu’s story as she confronts a new culture, learns about race in America and begins her teaching career. Marriage and children give her the family she longs to have. She finds innovative ways of sharing the riches of African culture through dance and education and discovers part of her identity.

Nhambu created Aerobics With Soul, a popular African dance fitness workout she teaches in Delray Beach, Forida; Rancho La Puerta, Mexico, and locally at the Marsh.

She also produced three workout videos: “Serengeti,” “Karibu” and “Ki Limanjaro.” Nhambu started her teaching career as a high school French instructor at Regina and Washburn, then taught Swahili and African Studies at Central High School.

Besides teaching African Studies at Central High School, she introduced thousands of children to African dance and culture as a presenter with Young Audiences in Minnesota. She currently alternates between her homes in Delray Beach, Florida and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“I wanted to share my story because I believe it transcends time and place,” said Nhambu. “While it may appear on the surface that some have easier lives than others, in truth we all struggle. We all feel pain and have our hearts broken but that doesn’t mean we have to let the tough experiences define us or determine our futures.”

“America’s Daughter” is available at www.marianhambu.com and Amazon.

For more information about the book and author, contact Kira Johnson at 612-859-1977 or visit www.marianhambu.com. To learn more about the book signing, visit www.spadymuseum.com.