From Misfortune to Miss Fortune: The Remarkable Journey of Albina Hume
The fact that author Albina Hume is a rhinoceros breeder is enough to catch most readers’ attention. But Hume’s new memoir, Miss Fortune, is about much more than rhino romance. It is a high energy story about courage, luck, determination and fate, told through the eyes of one woman on a quest for a better life. It’s also a story about how we view ourselves and of the meaning of “disability,” in that the speech impediment that caused Hume pain and hardship in childhood eventually comes to be her salvation. Through her inability to pronounce certain words, she meets the man who will eventually become her husband, and is introduced to what becomes her life’s work: preventing the extinction of the White Rhinoceros in South Africa. The journey from a Ukrainian childhood filled with poverty, abuse and self-doubt to a life of joy and purpose in South Africa takes the reader on an unforgettable ride through the world of Eastern European con men, sexual predators, corrupt officials and a series of ill-fated romances. Albina Hume’s life has been eventful – a mere recounting of the facts of her life would be entertaining. But it is Hume’s ability as a storyteller and her keen eye for human foibles, including her own, that makes Miss Fortune so engrossing , captivating and ultimately moving.
About the Book
“Who would think that my inability to pronounce the letter R would turn my life upside down and lead me from Ukraine to South Africa?”nAlbina Hume is often asked the same question – how did she meet her South African husband John, a property developer and a rhino breeder, who is 36 years her senior? She has always kept her response simple. Until now.
Her childhood fear that no one in Ukraine would want to marry a ‘crow’ at first resulted in various misfortunes, from failing dreams and relationships to even ending up in a police cell for 51 days, until she finally learned to focus on her dreams, not her fears.
Now, Albina and John Hume have dedicated their lives to preventing the South African rhino population from becoming extinct by breeding rhinos for future generations. In the past six years, they have bred over 500 white rhinos, with Albina emerging as a pro-rhino activist, advocating for an end to the war on trade in rhino horn that has only resulted in illegal trade and killing of rhinos and also people in Africa. Albina calls for legalising trade in horn – a renewable product – to help create harmony between African people and their natural heritage.
About the Author
Albina Hume was born and raised in Ukraine and now lives in South Africa, where she and her husband breed rhinoceros and have dedicated their lives to preventing the South African rhino population from becoming extinct. They are the founders of Future4Rhino, which calls for the legalization of the trade in horn – a renewable product. Future4Rhino believes that banning trade in horn creates illegal trade, which results in rhino deaths.