This book was difficult to read but I appreciated the story that Tara shares of her life. I went into this book expecting that it would be about education - or the lack of formal education until college - and that was a small and important part of this story, but I was wrong. This book is about so much more. It's about family and the price of admission, the conditions of being part of a family, even one filled with dysfunction and abuse. The story was about mental illness and missing stairs. It was about survival - physically, mentally, and emotionally. I have experienced emotional abuse and neglect and have wondered which way is up before. I think that Tara captured that feeling well. The illogical pull of an abusive person to have a hold on their victim - and how even the strongest people can be manipulated. She highlights just how scary it is to leave an abusive situation for something unknown and condemned by those that hold power. I will continue to think back on this book for quite a while. (Transferred from my Goodreads review.)
Graphic: Physical abuse, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Terminal illness