• Age: 18
• Grade: 12

Giving Voice to My Silence - My Struggle for Respect from Venezuela to Syria is a truthful memoir, vividly describing Montaha Hidefi's contrasting childhood struggle with mental manipulation and physical abuse at the hands of her own mother, social prejudice, and the sense of belonging in her country of birth, Venezuela, with her youthful battle with intimidation, social rejection, and violence while getting through with cultural shock in the country of her parents, Syria. This is an inspiring story of self-determination, resilience and growth of a young woman who refused to identify with the abuse and transformed her life to achieving success on more than one level. Through sheer willpower, she pursued higher education and rose to the level of global executive.

Montaha Hidefi's profile page

Montaha Hidefi, author of Giving Voice to My Silence, was born and raised in Venezuela to Syrian immigrants. As a teenager, her family returned to Syria, and as an adult she lived in the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and Canada.

From an early age, Montaha found comfort in exploring the vivid colours of her tropical surroundings. She began writing during her teen years in Syria, where the culture shock she experienced was so overwhelming, she confided in a diary, waging an ongoing debate in an attempt to understand the upheaval in her life.

Through sheer grit and determination, she overcame huge obstacles to become a well-educated, highly respected business woman in her field. As an internationally recognized strategic colour trend advisor and colour marketer, she co-authored the first and second editions of Colour Design Theories and Applications, in 2012 and 2017, edited by Janet West.

She has authored numerous articles related to her industry and profession for various trade magazines and websites. She is also an experienced trend panelist and contributed to the creative development of several trend books including MoOD Inspirations in Belgium, Dutch Design Week in the Netherlands, and Mix Magazine in the United Kingdom.

Montaha has several advance degrees, including an MBA, a masters in international business and a masters in translation. In 1991, her Arabic translation of the French children’s book, Badang l'Invincible, Les Contes du Griot, written in 1977 by Claude Duboux-Buquet, was published.

Montaha currently resides in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, with her husband, Michael Richter, a composer and sound engineer.

“Es una lectura muy poderosa. Lleva al lector directamente a la infancia de la autora. Quería cargar a la niña, abrazarla y protegerla. El abuso físico ya es bastante malo, pero el abuso emocional fue desgarrador”. Renata DeForest, masajista, Guelph, Canadá