Somebody's Daughter
- Downloads：8039
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-11 23:31:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ashley C. Ford
- ISBN：1250305977
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Cindy H。
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Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for gifting me with an Audio ARC of Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C。 Ford。 In exchange I offer my unbiased review。Ashley C。 Ford has the most soothing and melodic voice。 I could have listened to her narrate the phone book for another 6 hours。 Her story was heartfelt and heartbreaking。 Raised in poverty by a single mother， the secret of her father’s incarceration loomed large throughout her childhood。 Ashley’s mother had two sides: “mama”- a fun loving， Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for gifting me with an Audio ARC of Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C。 Ford。 In exchange I offer my unbiased review。Ashley C。 Ford has the most soothing and melodic voice。 I could have listened to her narrate the phone book for another 6 hours。 Her story was heartfelt and heartbreaking。 Raised in poverty by a single mother， the secret of her father’s incarceration loomed large throughout her childhood。 Ashley’s mother had two sides: “mama”- a fun loving， gregarious woman or “mother”- a frazzled， violent， mean tempered， detached presence。 Luckily for Ashley， she was blessed with an amazing grandmother who showered her with unconditional love， stability and support。 Her grandmother’s strength fostered Ashley’s confidence and fortitude to succeed。 I admit， I was not familiar with Ashley prior to listening to her memoir but now I can see why she is an inspiration and role model to her legions of fans。 Her memoir was honest， approachable， empowering and authentic。 My audio copy contained an interview with author Ashley C。 Ford and her friend and fellow writer Clint Smith。 I enjoyed their conversation about their writing experience， current world events， Black History， American History， memory， and reckoning with the past。 。。。more
Raymond
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Review coming soon。
Keva
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Somebody's Daughter is an introspective memoir about a young woman learning to accept her personal history。 This novel offers the reader to join Ashley C。 Ford through some of the most painful aspects of her upbringing growing up with a single mother and an incarcerated father。 While traveling through her life history， the reader is easily able to sympathize not only with the disassociation and emptiness experienced by Ford， but also her growth and success。 Ford's grief is excruciating to read， Somebody's Daughter is an introspective memoir about a young woman learning to accept her personal history。 This novel offers the reader to join Ashley C。 Ford through some of the most painful aspects of her upbringing growing up with a single mother and an incarcerated father。 While traveling through her life history， the reader is easily able to sympathize not only with the disassociation and emptiness experienced by Ford， but also her growth and success。 Ford's grief is excruciating to read， but the honest reflections about childhood and maturity are invaluable。 Watching Ford grow from being intimated by adulthood due to her family's history to giving a voice to her past is one of the most powerful aspects of the book。 。。。more
Ashtar Boulos
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I received an ARC of this book from the publisher vía a Goodreads giveaway - thank you so much！Ford is a gifted writer， capable of expressing tender emotion without overwriting。 I could tell she was still working through a lot of the processing behind the stories she shared in the memoir。 The narrative thread dropped a few times as I was reading， but overall this was a remarkable， honest exploration of family relationships and roles/identities within them。 I struggled with wanting her to go a bi I received an ARC of this book from the publisher vía a Goodreads giveaway - thank you so much！Ford is a gifted writer， capable of expressing tender emotion without overwriting。 I could tell she was still working through a lot of the processing behind the stories she shared in the memoir。 The narrative thread dropped a few times as I was reading， but overall this was a remarkable， honest exploration of family relationships and roles/identities within them。 I struggled with wanting her to go a bit deeper with some of the anecdotes， not from a voyeuristic lens， rather to provide a clearer picture of events。 It also seemed like there were events that were still too much for her to share or talk more about and I think that is completely reasonable。 。。。more
Stuart Jennings
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Ashley C。 Ford is a magnificent writer。。。as thisstory says it all。。。If you're ready to dive into a memoir of deep-seatedemotions， heartbreak， love and betrayal。。。here isthe story you've been looking for。。。Just a wonderful novel。。。covers every emotionimaginable。。。Highly recommended if you want to read a seriouslygood memoir。。。 Ashley C。 Ford is a magnificent writer。。。as thisstory says it all。。。If you're ready to dive into a memoir of deep-seatedemotions， heartbreak， love and betrayal。。。here isthe story you've been looking for。。。Just a wonderful novel。。。covers every emotionimaginable。。。Highly recommended if you want to read a seriouslygood memoir。。。 。。。more
Luca
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this book was so heartbreaking yet so beautiful。 i got it for free as part of a Goodreads giveaway and I am honestly so lucky I did。 i highly suggest that everyone read this book。 tw: r*pe， c*ncer
Cookie
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In this memoir， Ashley C。 Ford talks about her experiences and the relationships in her life。 She talks about the effects that her father's incarceration had on her。 She also discusses many other relationships， including her relationship with her mother， her grandmother， and her romantic relationships。 The most powerful part of this book is her reflection on her experience of being raped as a teen and the trauma from that event。 Ford's writing and storytelling is really good in this memoir。 She In this memoir， Ashley C。 Ford talks about her experiences and the relationships in her life。 She talks about the effects that her father's incarceration had on her。 She also discusses many other relationships， including her relationship with her mother， her grandmother， and her romantic relationships。 The most powerful part of this book is her reflection on her experience of being raped as a teen and the trauma from that event。 Ford's writing and storytelling is really good in this memoir。 She is insightful and articulate and I enjoyed listening to this audiobook。 I like it when an author narrates their own memoir。 It helps the listener connect more with the book， in my opinion。 Thank you to Libro。fm and MacMillan Audio for a free ALC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sacha
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Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio arc， which I received in exchange for an honest review。 I will post that review upon publication。 I do want to recommend the audio version highly。 It’s narrated by the author， who gives the most compelling performance one could hope for （unsurprisingly， as this is not only her book but also her memoir）。 This version also includes a short interview with the author （hosted by Clint Smith）。
Hollie
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We are so lucky to live in a world where Ashley C。 Ford is writing。 Her debut memoir has been one of my most highly anticipate books since it was announced and I was not disappointed。 Ford’s writing creates a vivid world where the reader feels like they are walking along side her as she navigates through complex family dynamics， an incarcerated parent， puberty， sexual assault， and learning to believe in herself。 Ford has told her truth and it is bright， vulnerable， and real。
Peggy
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Families， am I right？ Got this as an ARC from Goodreads and just gobbled it up。 Ford's memoir deals with her struggles growing up in a family in Indiana where she equally feared and loved her mother and had an incarcerated father， though no one would tell her why for the longest time。 She draws a clear picture about the abundance of love in her family， particularly from her relationship with her grandmother and younger brother， but also the way her single mother parented with fear as the primary Families， am I right？ Got this as an ARC from Goodreads and just gobbled it up。 Ford's memoir deals with her struggles growing up in a family in Indiana where she equally feared and loved her mother and had an incarcerated father， though no one would tell her why for the longest time。 She draws a clear picture about the abundance of love in her family， particularly from her relationship with her grandmother and younger brother， but also the way her single mother parented with fear as the primary way to create and instill order。 This parenting-by-fear was all too familiar to me and struck a chord; I ached for and related to Ford and her need to have a moment of real love and caring with her mother that wasn't underscored by fear。 As she grows up and hits puberty， her body betrays her and though she still feels like a child her body reads as a woman; for her， this causes her problems not of her own making。 She suffers trauma and dissociates from her body。 Finally， she escapes to college where she explores who she is and could be away from her family。 Ford's vulnerability in sharing her struggles is admirable， gut-wrenching and real。 Multiple times I just wanted to hug her （sometimes firmly talk to her）。 Her willingness to dig deep and put it all out there is pretty remarkable。 The telling here is episodic， which mostly works， but also leaves some gaps。 Her younger brother with whom she is extremely close growing up disappears， mostly， from the back half and it seems like there's more to it than just regular growing apart。 She stops attending classes at one point but then the next chapter finds her in her junior year， so it's a bit hard to see when， how， or why she started attending again or if she just scraped by or what。 Ultimately， though， this is about her relationship with her mother， grandmother， and absent father and how that frames her relationship with herself。 In that aspect， this book soars。 I understood this family and how she loved it yet still needed to escape it。 This book captures all of those ways our families can mess us up while still forming the bedrock we continuously return to。 。。。more
kortnee
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First I’d like to thank NetGalley for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of Ashley Ford。 My review。I listen to the audiobook of somebody’s daughter， I’m not sure if it’s because I didn’t read it but I felt as though I never really got to know who Ashley was。 There wasn’t anything about hobbies， no long conversation about her and what she loved。 I felt like I didn’t know her as I should have。 The book is itself isn’t straight forward， it doesn’t start at a young age and go to adult hood ， it First I’d like to thank NetGalley for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of Ashley Ford。 My review。I listen to the audiobook of somebody’s daughter， I’m not sure if it’s because I didn’t read it but I felt as though I never really got to know who Ashley was。 There wasn’t anything about hobbies， no long conversation about her and what she loved。 I felt like I didn’t know her as I should have。 The book is itself isn’t straight forward， it doesn’t start at a young age and go to adult hood ， it goes from age 6 then 2 then 5 years old。 （ it doesn’t go from one age to another， it bounces around a bit） Then it will talk about meeting a boy and talking on the phone to going to see her dad for a visit。 I wish it was a little more clean， and had more information about who Ashley was rather then how her mom and grandma treated her。 This is a sad story， Ashley went through a lot of abuse and was raped。 In the end she survived ， made her left better for herself and finally got what she wanted。 I wish there was more to the ending of the book （ don’t want to spoil it） I wanted to know how was their relationship？ How was life after hm coming into Ashley’s life？ It was a cliffhanger。 Thank you Ashley for sharing your story， your truth and I am glad you were strong enough to fight the fight！ 。。。more
Leah Rachel von Essen
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Somebody's Daughter is a fantastic memoir from Ashley C。 Ford in a distinctive， poetic， introspective voice。 Ford grew up a Black girl in the Midwest， her father in prison， her mother unpredictable and often physically abusive。 As she becomes a teenager， and her body begins to change， the people in her life warn her again and again of men and their violence， until she's internalized the policing of her body and actions into a desperate， halting root of fear and self-blame。 So when a boyfriend as Somebody's Daughter is a fantastic memoir from Ashley C。 Ford in a distinctive， poetic， introspective voice。 Ford grew up a Black girl in the Midwest， her father in prison， her mother unpredictable and often physically abusive。 As she becomes a teenager， and her body begins to change， the people in her life warn her again and again of men and their violence， until she's internalized the policing of her body and actions into a desperate， halting root of fear and self-blame。 So when a boyfriend assaults her， she buries her secret as deep as she can， building a steep barricade around herself。Ford's writing is incredibly sharp。 Her descriptions of anxiety， particularly anticipatory anxiety， which I suffer from， is vivid and true， ringing familiar and painful。 As Ford tries to decide how to feel about her father and his past， as she tiptoes around her mother， she slowly， and with difficulty， finds something within herself that she can learn to trust。 Ford digs into just how complicated familial love really is， how trauma roots， how rape culture gets inside of us。 Her journey is thorny and full of traps， but Ford writes it as a breathtaking story of heartbreak and hope。I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 Somebody’s Daughter comes out from Flatiron Books on June 1。Content warnings for rape， victim-blaming， rape culture， domestic abuse， emotional abuse， disordered eating， depression and anxiety。 。。。more
Natalie （readswithnatalieb）
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All the stars， all the nods， and all of the things for Ashley C。 Ford。 I’ve never felt so connected to a memoir in a way that nowhere mirrored my childhood， teenage years， or adult life。 Listening to Ford’s story felt like we were sitting and talking with her taking the time to finally answer my “what’s up” or “are you okay？” questions she’s been avoiding。It’s amazing how Ford can look back and navigate her life。 She’s able to pinpoint specific moments and how it’s shaped her to this day。 From a All the stars， all the nods， and all of the things for Ashley C。 Ford。 I’ve never felt so connected to a memoir in a way that nowhere mirrored my childhood， teenage years， or adult life。 Listening to Ford’s story felt like we were sitting and talking with her taking the time to finally answer my “what’s up” or “are you okay？” questions she’s been avoiding。It’s amazing how Ford can look back and navigate her life。 She’s able to pinpoint specific moments and how it’s shaped her to this day。 From an emotionally abusive mother， to a grandma to lean on， generational trauma， to an incarcerated father， to being a Black female， sexual assault， body image， to being told she won’t go to college， and so much in between。 She does more than just touch on the topics I’ve listed above though。 She’s able to deep dive into each layer while seamlessly transitioning to the domino effect her life had because of that bottom layer。 Ford might be one of the most honest authors I’ve ever come across。If you are able to listen to the audiobook， I highly suggest listening until the end。 The last hour features an interview with Clint Smith that covers fascinating topics including how to be so transparent when writing a memoir。 Big thank you to Netgalley and Libro FM for this ALC！ 。。。more
Mocha Girl
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This is an audiobook review; read by the author。Somebody’s Daughter is a courageous memoir of a young woman coming of age in the mid-West with an incarcerated father， a single mother， and two younger siblings。 From the beginning and throughout the memoir， love is the centralized theme - it is abundantly apparent that she loves her family， her family loves her， and we witness her discover self-love in poignant reflections of her journey into adulthood。These recollections are honest and sometimes This is an audiobook review; read by the author。Somebody’s Daughter is a courageous memoir of a young woman coming of age in the mid-West with an incarcerated father， a single mother， and two younger siblings。 From the beginning and throughout the memoir， love is the centralized theme - it is abundantly apparent that she loves her family， her family loves her， and we witness her discover self-love in poignant reflections of her journey into adulthood。These recollections are honest and sometimes heart-breaking -- there are scenes that are difficult to listen to and I applaud her bravery to revisit some painful memories let alone her willingness to openly share them with the world。 The writing is immersive and invoked empathy - I was invested in her welfare， inwardly hoping for her success and sympathizing when there were losses and disappointments。 The renderings from her point of view provided a clear understanding of her choices and actions so when it came to pivotal moments in her life; for example， her purposeful distancing from her family to pursue her independence， the reader fully understands the reasons for the decision。Thank you to Ms。 Ford for allowing us a glimpse into her life。 I sensed a cathartic vibe and I truly hope this work brings her peace and a step toward the healing and closure she seeks。 Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for allowing me to listen for an honest review。 。。。more
Regina
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When you pick up a memoir by someone you’ve never heard of and end up finishing it all in one go， you know you’ve found a winner。 People who live above rocks and not under them like me may already know Ashley C。 Ford from her podcasts， hosting gigs， or writings for outlets such as BuzzFeed， The Guardian， Slate， and The New York Times。 In her first book， Somebody’s Daughter， she set out to convey her experience growing up as a poor， Black girl with a father incarcerated for rape。 Turns out， she c When you pick up a memoir by someone you’ve never heard of and end up finishing it all in one go， you know you’ve found a winner。 People who live above rocks and not under them like me may already know Ashley C。 Ford from her podcasts， hosting gigs， or writings for outlets such as BuzzFeed， The Guardian， Slate， and The New York Times。 In her first book， Somebody’s Daughter， she set out to convey her experience growing up as a poor， Black girl with a father incarcerated for rape。 Turns out， she couldn’t do that without focusing on what life was like with the one parent left to raise her - an emotionally detached and often physically abusive mother。 The power of this memoir comes from Ford’s commitment to her truth。 These were her experiences， seen through her eyes， and felt by her body。 The end result is a self-reflective and unapologetic look at coming of age feeling both drawn to and repelled by your lineage。 The audiobook includes a bonus conversation between Ford and one of her contemporaries， author/poet Clint Smith。 This alone is worth the price of admission， as the two discuss fascinating topics like what it takes to write an honest memoir without compromising your reality for the sake of your relationships。 For aspiring nonfiction writers in particular， I highly recommend listening。 But humans interested in building empathy for others will be greatly served as well。 I received an advance review copy of the audiobook courtesy of Macmillan Audio through NetGalley。 Blog: https://www。confettibookshelf。com/IG: @confettibookshelf 。。。more
Jill Reads
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Ashley C。 Ford opens her memoir describing her apartment in Brooklyn。 It’s a tiny one-bedroom that she shares with her boyfriend。 Together， the couple build a cozy hideaway within their four walls， barricading them away from the hustle of the city。 This is also a beautiful metaphor for Ashley’s emotional and physical barricade that she built long ago。 One that protects her from her family in Indiana。 And more specifically， her mother。 Prior to releasing “Somebody’s Daughter，” Ashley tiptoes arou Ashley C。 Ford opens her memoir describing her apartment in Brooklyn。 It’s a tiny one-bedroom that she shares with her boyfriend。 Together， the couple build a cozy hideaway within their four walls， barricading them away from the hustle of the city。 This is also a beautiful metaphor for Ashley’s emotional and physical barricade that she built long ago。 One that protects her from her family in Indiana。 And more specifically， her mother。 Prior to releasing “Somebody’s Daughter，” Ashley tiptoes around her mother so as not to make ripples in smooth waters。 That way， her mother won’t get hurt。 But that means Ashley must sidestep her complicated relationships， memories， feelings， experiences and perceptions。 Sometimes Ashley wonders why she just doesn’t lower her walls anyway。 That is， to be free to be herself。 Then maybe her mother could lower her own walls。“Then I end up blaming myself for not remembering to stick to the conversations paths， offering the least resistance，” Ashley explains。 “Furious at myself for veering too far into the unexplored or exiled。 Or worse， I’d be drawn into her fantasy that we were already close。 If my mother and I shared anything without having carefully considered it， it was this undying ember of a dream that we will someday， somehow find ourselves reaping the bounty of a mother-daughter bond。 The roots of which we both refuse to tend in the meantime。”Despite this beautiful introduction， not all of this story revolves around Ashley and her mother。 In fact， in an interview about the book， the author explains that she pitched the idea about her relationship with her father。 A man who was incarcerated for raping two women。 A man who Ashley hasn’t really seen in 25 years。 But as she digs into the writing process， Ashley comes to terms with all of her memories。 Many of which were about the women in her life。 In the audiobook， Ashley’s velvety smooth voice captures her developing emotional maturity and reckoning with her past。 And I think she now trusts herself so she can be honest about the relationship with herself and her mother。 She’s becoming a bonafide truth teller。If you do download the audio， I highly recommend listening to the bonus conversation between the author and Clint Smith。 It is excellent as it gives insight into Ashley’s writing process and self-discovery along the way。Special thanks to Macmillan Audio and Flatiron Books: An Oprah Book for gifting me an advanced listener copy via the NetGalley app。 This is my honest review。 。。。more
Kelly Hooker
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I love a good memoir。 Reading about a human experience other than my own？ Sign me up。 Ashley C。 Ford recounts her childhood defined by her incarcerated father’s absence in SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER。Ford’s memoir explores body image， race， poverty， shame， and sexual assault。 Complex yet beautiful familial ties are at the center of her story。 With an emotionally detached mother and an abusive step-father， Ford’s childhood was far from perfect。 Ford admits it was easy to romanticize her father and envisi I love a good memoir。 Reading about a human experience other than my own？ Sign me up。 Ashley C。 Ford recounts her childhood defined by her incarcerated father’s absence in SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER。Ford’s memoir explores body image， race， poverty， shame， and sexual assault。 Complex yet beautiful familial ties are at the center of her story。 With an emotionally detached mother and an abusive step-father， Ford’s childhood was far from perfect。 Ford admits it was easy to romanticize her father and envision how his fierce loyalty would have protected her from devastating relational trauma as a child。While I can’t relate to the experience of having a family member incarcerated， I can relate to her desire to discover life independently。The audiobook was narrated by the author， which is my very favorite way to read a memoir！ Listening to Ashley share her story added a personal layer I very much appreciated。 Highly recommend！A big thank you to NetGalley ， Macmillan Audio and Flatiron Books （an Oprah Book imprint） for an ALC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Morgan Schulman
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I received an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review Ok- I love Ms Ford to pieces so I devoured this audiobook with her reading her words aloud in her own voice。 It felt less like a book in more like a long conversation with a close friend telling about how she became who she is。 I binged listened as soon as it hit my self and had to pause and go back for several key parts。 Required reader for everyone’s daughters。 Easy five。
Lupita Reads
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I finished the audio edition of Ashley C。 Ford’s memoir SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER yesterday during my morning walk， thanks to @librofm ACL program。 It usually takes me a long time to craft a review for books so while I plan to write out a full format review for this book， I decided to rush over & give you a list of things that made me inhale the book。 I am also rushing to post because you really need to pre-order this book！ I got the idea of listing thoughts from a post @readingwithnani did a while ag I finished the audio edition of Ashley C。 Ford’s memoir SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER yesterday during my morning walk， thanks to @librofm ACL program。 It usually takes me a long time to craft a review for books so while I plan to write out a full format review for this book， I decided to rush over & give you a list of things that made me inhale the book。 I am also rushing to post because you really need to pre-order this book！ I got the idea of listing thoughts from a post @readingwithnani did a while ago。1。 This might sound really strange but I felt that the author was able to tap into their inner child in ways I hadn’t seen in book before。 What do I mean by that？ While detailing her childhood， Ford doesn’t attempt to over correct， judge or explain her feelings。 She simply allowed them space on the page。 I’ll sit more with this thought & write into it for a future post。2。 The imagery。 The imagery。 The imagery。 It is haunting。 I caught myself swept into the vivid detailed storytelling。 In fact I took the background photo of this to represent the shadows I felt vibrate from the book while reading。 And today I had a vivid memory of a hole in the ground filled up with snakes knotting tighter into each other。 The description came to mind because I was thinking about something I had to do for my family。 When you read the book you’ll get it。3。 I’ve read a lot of books about complicated families。 I love books that explore complicated family dynamics。 This is that and more。 There’s the added layer of standing in the truth of who you as separate from your family but also understanding how even as difficult as they can be， you still yearn to be connected to them & that’s okay。 I felt like I needed this。 I spend a lot of time thinking I don’t need my extended family because they can’t seem to understand the dynamics of my queer family。 This is not to say I need to be relax on my personal boundaries but it’s to say I understand that I can stand in two truths & it be okay- I can love them & yearn to find a way to reconnect somehow AND I can do continue to do what’s right for myself & the family I’ve created。 It’s not something I need to carry any guilt about。 。。。more
Branden
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An absolutely beautiful book。 I couldn’t put it down。
Susan
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In the conversational tone of a big sister or best friend， Ashley Ford frankly and thoughtfully recounts the progress of a young life--hers--laid out in poignant， sometimes heartbreaking incidents: a life with an often emotionally detached and overstretched mother and abusive stepfather， an absent imprisoned father， loving but at times separated younger siblings， and unwanted sexual attention from men and boys， including being raped as a young teen。 But consider Ms。 Ford's shining qualities: int In the conversational tone of a big sister or best friend， Ashley Ford frankly and thoughtfully recounts the progress of a young life--hers--laid out in poignant， sometimes heartbreaking incidents: a life with an often emotionally detached and overstretched mother and abusive stepfather， an absent imprisoned father， loving but at times separated younger siblings， and unwanted sexual attention from men and boys， including being raped as a young teen。 But consider Ms。 Ford's shining qualities: intelligence， common sense， ingenuity， beauty within and without （although her sense of these is tested mightily）， a gift for literature and her own writing， pride in her Black identity， bravery， and a fierce loyalty to family--especially to her grandmother， her soulmate。 She will need all these， and more， to handle the aftermath of the sexual and emotional assaults she must come to terms with， as well as getting to understand and love the imprisoned father she never got to know: warts and all。 Promising success in relationships and career are the fitting adult reward for this gifted young author--amen to that！ 。。。more
Ellen Natalia
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A beautiful piece about family and self by Ashley Ford。 Definitely had me in tears at the end。 I can't wait to read more of her works！ A beautiful piece about family and self by Ashley Ford。 Definitely had me in tears at the end。 I can't wait to read more of her works！ 。。。more
Melissa
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I've been following Ashley for years on social media so I'm so happy to see her book coming out。It's a beautifully written， heart-wrenching memoir about growing up a Black girl in a loving family （that has it's issues， FYI for physical abuse recounted on the page if that's a trigger for you） but with a father who has been incarcerated and what it means for her when she finally learns why he is in prison and also when he is granted release。 She also writes about growing up in a female body， speci I've been following Ashley for years on social media so I'm so happy to see her book coming out。It's a beautifully written， heart-wrenching memoir about growing up a Black girl in a loving family （that has it's issues， FYI for physical abuse recounted on the page if that's a trigger for you） but with a father who has been incarcerated and what it means for her when she finally learns why he is in prison and also when he is granted release。 She also writes about growing up in a female body， specifically a Black female body， and how to reclaim that body when it is violated （trigger warning here that she recounts her sexual assault on the page）。 。。。more
Melissa Bonier
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Wow！ This memoir is just so beautiful and unflinching。 I was struck by how the stories told feel honest and engaging without ever falling into melodrama， and by how Ford completely captures what it feels like to be a child being raised by a traumatized and traumatizing mother。 What it means to be a girl who is both too seen and yet invisible。 I couldn’t put it down， and was sad to have finished it。 Looking forward to what Ford writes next！I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy from Goodreads Wow！ This memoir is just so beautiful and unflinching。 I was struck by how the stories told feel honest and engaging without ever falling into melodrama， and by how Ford completely captures what it feels like to be a child being raised by a traumatized and traumatizing mother。 What it means to be a girl who is both too seen and yet invisible。 I couldn’t put it down， and was sad to have finished it。 Looking forward to what Ford writes next！I was thrilled to receive an advanced copy from Goodreads， but it costs more than twenty bucks to buy me off， so consider this an unbiased review。 。。。more
Sage
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So beautifully written and just。。。stunning。 I’ve been waiting for this one ever since it was announced and I’m thrilled that I’ve finally gotten around to reading it。 Can’t wait for this brilliant memoir to be out in the world。 Ashley C。 Ford is an incredible force， and this memoir was equal parts heartwarming and heart wrenching。 I can imagine it must have been cathartic to write this。 This was so exquisitely crafted。 I wish I had a hard copy， because I wanted to mark up （with sticky notes！） pa So beautifully written and just。。。stunning。 I’ve been waiting for this one ever since it was announced and I’m thrilled that I’ve finally gotten around to reading it。 Can’t wait for this brilliant memoir to be out in the world。 Ashley C。 Ford is an incredible force， and this memoir was equal parts heartwarming and heart wrenching。 I can imagine it must have been cathartic to write this。 This was so exquisitely crafted。 I wish I had a hard copy， because I wanted to mark up （with sticky notes！） passages that resonated with me。 The below is about Ashley’s early childhood experience with libraries， and I adored all of this。 This was early on in the book and this is exactly how I feel about libraries too！！！“The library felt too good to be true。 All those books， on all those shelves， and I could just pluck them out， one by one， find an empty chair and read， and read， and read。 When I realized nobody would stop me from browsing in the teen and adult sections， that books were a place where my age didn’t matter as long as I could read the words in front of me， I found a home for my mind and spirit to take root。 My imagination had already taken me on a million wild rides， but here was unlimited adventure。 For the rest of my life， I would seek out the library the way some search for the soft light of a chapel in the dark。” 。。。more
Sarah
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Ashley is a force to be reckon with in this genre。 I was a big fan of her podcasts before reading the memoir。 The voice is identical on the page。 It truly broke my heart in the most gorgeous beautiful way。 Recommending this heartfelt memoir to all my writing circles not only on the craft level but as one of the best memoirs I have ever read。
Maya B
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