The Mahira Novels
The “Mahira” novels were inspired by a truly incredible and brilliant young woman who I met upon my visit to Tanzania in 2017.
Mahira’s story chronicles the cultural experiences borne of her loss of memory immediately before the graduation ceremony for which she must deliver the Valedictorian speech. She wakes up in a hospital bed fearful of one or more individuals wanting to capture and harm her. She flees the hospital only to embark on a series of adventures that display her heroism many times over.
When a couple of these misadventures become news headlines, an admiring young man’s curious infatuation drives him to find her and assist her in a kind of societal re-acclimation. Over time, a romantic interest grips Shuki, leading him to pursue this young lady.
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About Me
John R Haeck - Author
John’s first duology springs from the inspiration provided by a young lady
he met when, during his 2017 inaugural visit to help aspiring entrepreneurs, a homeless and hungry young lady waited in the kitchen of his new abode to assist with his first supper there.
Deciding what to read next?
Mahira: The Missing Valedictorian
“You Go Girl! You Go!”
She should have been there! On the day of her graduation, Mahira fell unconscious, only to awaken in a hospital bed without any memory of who she was, where she came from, and who might want to harm her.
Book One
Book One prologues Mahira’s story by describing the graduation ceremony at which she becomes a no-show. Chapter One and the following describe the early lives of Mahira and Shuki. Mahira subsequently learns to survive in the foothills of Arusha, Tanzania. Book One concludes by describing a children’s concert that features a song whose lyrics she penned at the urging of a music consultant to a church’s youth ensemble. While a happy ending appears inevitable, Mahira’s father, the villain who inspired the latent fear that seemed to propel her flight, surprisingly attends this concert. Mahira flees once more, recalling how as a child she stood up to her father who insisted she take care of his cattle instead of pursuing her own education. Shuki is left wondering why he hadn’t been more aggressive to prevent this latest flight.
Book Two
Book Two continues Mahira’s story by recounting her journey and adventures to the eastern mountains and coastline of Tanzania. She again inadvertently creates newspaper headlines, leaving a nation spellbound by this mysterious young lady. Gradually Mahira loses some of her fear. She finds herself coaxed into providing the keynote speech at her succeeding class’s graduation ceremony. Family and romantic issues appear to resolve themselves, but leave room for future continued culturally revealing experiences.
What the readers are saying
“What a pair of books you’ve got on your hands! Thanks to these stories, I’m infatuated with Mahira. But I’m also an enormous fan of the narrator, who treats Mahira with such respect and care and truly seems to know her in a wonderfully sympathetic and intimate way.
The particular challenge of this novel is convincing readers that Mahira has both sustained long-term amnesia and can perform all the larger-than-life deeds she manages to accomplish in a year. It’s kind of miraculous that Mahira does that—in fact, it’s the novel’s greatest accomplishment.
Mahira herself is a classically and uniquely wonderful main character. She herself is larger than life, and she embodies several wonderful traits that you see in literature’s best hero/ines: she’s strong, and she’s witty and spontaneous. She does and says things that most of us wish we had the guts to do, and Shuki seems to embody that awe and infatuation I felt as a reader.
I’m an enormous fan of this novel, and I believe it’s an important one. I believe you’ll have quite a story on your hands.”
Shavonne Clarke
Developmental Editor
In any novel that I read, my expectations are for the author to take me to a place and time not previously experienced. I want to be inserted into a situation where the sights, sounds, characters, and story grab my attention from the start.
I was happily rewarded in this by reading the exploits of Mahira in Tanzania. It was a fun, lighthearted yet exciting storyline, and one that tugged at the heartstrings when challenges presented themselves to young Mahira. I can easily see this book as a fun summer getaway companion or an easy relaxing vacation read.
I trust you will enjoy this book as much as I. Have fun reading about this adventurous young lady.
DMT
Amazon Review
I have just completed reading John Haeck’s novel, MAHIRA: The Missing Valedictorian. I found it to be a compelling page-turner as the main character, Mihira, bounds from one experience to another.
My motivation to read this novel was to immerse myself in the setting that the author, John Haeck, created. I have been to Tanzania many times and I was looking for authenticity for the city of Arusha that I know. I found it. Giving himself the opportunity to spend extended time in Tanzania, John’s experiences were unique, as he was invited into homes and churches and schools and got to know people in a very personal way. Being able to “live the life” gave him a perspective that tourists miss.
In reading this novel, you will be exposed to a place you have likely never been and you will love the people you will meet.
Dave Clement
Amazon Review
The recently released novel, Mahira was an enlightening read. The setting for the novel takes place in Tanzania. I was not very familiar with the landscape of the country nor the culture. The author does an excellent job of exposing the reader to both. The book recreates the struggles of one young girl trying to find her place in Tanzania.
Mahira, the main character, must navigate the culture of Tanzania, the poverty in her country, as well as the social limitations placed on girls. The story recreates her struggles, failures, and successes beautifully.
If a reader likes short paragraphs, like James Patterson style, then Mahira is the novel for you. The backdrop of Tanzania and its culture creates a socially enriching experience.
Faye Manceaux
Amazon Review