At a time when books about inspiration and encouragement told from the perspective of male protagonists abound, Dr Sandra Palmer-Peart flips the script with a vivid, honest and engaging account of life from the perspective of a young Jamaican woman, beset by challenges, but determined to be a success.

The book, titled “On Seraph Wings: Memoirs of a Country Girl” was launched on Thursday at the Devonshire, Devon House, where family, friends and members of the business and educational community gathered to celebrate Palmer-Peart’s triumph over illness, adversity, financial and other setbacks to become a successful entrepreneur and educator.

“Failure and success are on the same continuum,” Palmer Peart, 38, says in the book, and her story is a testament to the result of paying the ‘PRICE’ for that success. The ‘PRICE’, according to Palmer-Peart is Persistence, Resoluteness, Intrapreneurship, Commitment and Extraordinariness. These, she argues, are fundamental to achieving one’s goals, whether they be to pass an exam, or run a successful business.

“As long as we are persistent in the pursuit of our deepest destiny, we will continue to grow and excel because persistence is the twin sister of excellence,” she says in the Memoirs. Resoluteness is critical because the mind must be made up and the purpose “firm and definite”, in order to achieve. The lessons, however, are not just for those who own and operate a business. Intrapaneurship, she says is the “entrepreneurship practised by individuals within an established organisation”.

“I am personally convinced that one person can be a change catalyst, a ‘transformer’ in any situation, any organisation. Such an individual is the yeast that can be the leaven for an entire loaf — the organisation. It requires vision, initiative, patience, respect, courage, and faith. That’s being intrapreneurial,” she writes.

Other lessons from childhood, adolescence and adulthood abound to make the book a timeless tale.

Nsombi Jaja, President of Quality Management Consultancy, USA and noted motivational speaker, described the memoir as “beautifully written, engaging and inspiring” during her presentation at the launch.

The title suggests the inspirational quality of the book, ‘Seraph’, being the highest order angel.

“This is the launch of a book that is destined to become required reading on the literature booklist of every high school in this country and the wider Caribbean,” Jaja said. “We, folks, are here to make our contribution to nation building by enabling others to become the very best that they can be.”

Jaja said it was remarkable that Palmer-Peart told her story, as in Jamaica people “don’t like to talk dem business because, when you talk yu business, people tek it tell you”. However, she commended Palmer -Peart for having the courage to tell her story.

“She told her business, and she told her business to help us to understand that it really doesn’t matter what happens to you what really matters is how you handle it and the attitude that you bring to it,” said Jaja.

Ian Boyne, also a presenter at the launch said later that Palmer-Peart’s journey was unique. “In terms of her professional career, it has been quite varied. It is unusual to have someone who is both a full time entrepreneur and a lecturer. So that is fascinating.” Boyne said.

Palmer-Peart, who is the CEO of technology firm SSP Aptec, and lecturer in entrepreneurship at the Mona School of Business, said after the launch that the book, which is self-published, may be the first of other stories about her life.