Steel Fetters by Tina Fernandez, review by S. Marie Vernon

Miss Afia Rana is a beautiful young lady who has landed her dream job.  She’s an airline stewardess flying for India’s Southern Airlines.  She makes frequent trips to Bombay, Mumbai, and the famous Juhu Beach area surrounded by the Arabian Sea.  Exotic and romantic, Afia also attracts the man of her dreams and he’s the head of a Steel empire.  His business takes him across the middle east as a frequent flyer.  Afia is flying high and loving her life, until her baby arrives and the years slowly turn to Steel Fetters as she challenges the “false morality of the 1980’s.” Her endless love for her child gives her the strength to rise again and again against a difficult backdrop and an unfair situation that life has handed her.

The author, Tina Fernandez, does a good job with this personal experience story.  It describes the plight of countless women during this era.  While every country had its own way of chastisement for these brave single mothers there is little wonder why abortion became so popular.  There were no easy choices and no easy answers for the women who faced the dilemma, especially in India.

Before the baby, Afia’s father held a different dream for her.  It followed traditional.  He wanted to choose a husband for his daughter.  She would retire from flying, become a loving wife and raise a family.  This is the way it was done in India, except Afia hated this dream and wanted no part of it.  The situation threatened to tear the family apart.  Afia’s mother would also have choices to make and they  would not be easy.

Tina Fernandez is a successful author and business woman who keeps the cause of single motherhood close to her heart.  She champions associations that support these brave mothers as they choose life for their children.  She knows what a high price they are paying in a society that has false values and, “false morality,” when it comes to unwed mothers.  Her book will speak to women of all ages, especially single mothers.  It may also speak to the children of these single moms; the children who appreciate the sacrifices their moms made to keep them safe.  On a deep level, Steel Fetters is a story about society and moral norms that do not serve humanity and how one woman challenged them.  She broke through what seemed like steel to build a secure and happy home life for herself and her beloved son.