Several months ago I put a bunch of books on my Overdrive online library holds. One of the books was American Daughter by Stepanie Thornton Plymal.
As I said I have the book on my list. I was notified that the book was available. I went to get the book immediately and it somehow disappeared. I was disappointed. I opted to put the book on the list again…and wait again. Finally, I got a notification that it was available and I was able to get it.
So…was it worth the wait??
YES. It was worth the wait.
I have come to really enjoy memoirs. I love hearing what made a person become who they are. Sometimes they are really sad. Sometimes I get angry. Sometimes I want to scoop the person up and tell them, wait…you are going to overcome all of this. I especially appreciate the ones where children come of age and put adult meaning to their lives.
This book was exactly that. The story is engaging. It’s a perfect mix of present-day and flashbacks. I listened to the book over the course of a 24 hour period. That’s a real sign that I loved the book.
I think I can safely say, that I think it was my favorite memoir to date. That’s saying a lot!!
Here is what Amazon had to say: “For years, Stephanie Plymale, successful CEO and interior designer, kept her past a fiercely guarded secret. Only her husband knew that her childhood was fraught with every imaginable hardship: neglect, hunger, poverty, homelessness, truancy, foster homes, a harrowing lack of medical care, and worse. Stephanie, in turn, knew very little about the past of her mother, who was in and out of jails and psych wards for most of Stephanie’s formative years. All this changed when a series of shocking revelations forced Stephanie to revisit her tortured past and revise the meaning of every aspect of her compromised childhood.
American Daughter is the extraordinary true story of a young girl growing up on the wrong side of the American Dream. Stephanie has slept in blankets on the floor of crowded apartments, lived in the back seat of a car with her siblings, and spent decades looking over her shoulder at a mother who might just as easily hug or harm her. American Daughter is at once a moving account of a troubled mother-daughter relationship and a meditation on resilience, transcendence, and ultimately, redemption.”
I did go on Youtube and found a short interview with the author. If you watch, you will get a sense of what the book is about.
Amazon readers gave the book 4.7 stars. I would wholeheartedly agree. In fact, I think I’m giving it 4.9 stars. It was so good!! I love the ending. I love the message of hope.
You can find the book HERE on Amazon.
This sounds like a very good book and I’m putting it on my “to read” list. The author sure had much to overcome and did it. If you haven’t read The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, you may enjoy reading that.
I recently read A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier. The story is set in England in 1932. It made me think of you because of the part that embroidery played in the story. A friend recommended and I also read it in one day—good writing and enjoyable.
Jo, in about February I was feeling quite sorry for myself when I wrote to you that I was taking a part-time job. I thought I had retired from nursing, but I couldn’t live on the scarce income of being retired.
You were so encouraging and supportive. Now I know you were right, that this was a very positive move. My patient and I have become close friends. She is now in hospice, but since March we have been writing her memoirs. They will likely not have the audience of AMERICAN DAUGHTER, but they are as meaningful.
I’m always interested in what you’re reading. And in your good advice!
I know you like WWII books and I just downloaded The Dressmakers of Auschwitz by Lucy Adington. The author interviewed the last surviving member of the 25 seamstresses who sewed dresses for the Nazi elite. https://smile.amazon.com/Dressmakers-Auschwitz-Story-Women-Survive-ebook/dp/B08QJ93W1Y/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3HLWMYG5IPKSS&dchild=1&keywords=the+dressmakers+of+auschwitz&qid=1632141109&sprefix=the+dressm%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-3
I can’t put it down and I’m at the part where they arrive at Auschwitz. The author has done a lot of research to write this book. It has free audible credits.