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qtpieash3 's review for:
A Piece of Cake
by Cupcake Brown
3.5 stars. The story was compelling and out-of-control, but had a happy ending.
Cupcake Brown, 11 years old, finds her mother dead one morning. Shortly thereafter, she finds out her dad isn't really her father and custody of Cupcake and her brother is given to their biological father, who comes out of the woodwork to collect the Social Security money. Once he has Cupcake and her brother, he promptly drops them off at an abusive foster home. While there, Cupcake is raped, beaten up, and generally abused. She runs away multiple times, but is always deposited back despite her claims - and evidence - of abuse. She eventually runs away for good, ends up hitchhiking, prostituting, joining a gang, robbing, stealing, and taking drugs and drinking 24/7. I know I've led a sheltered life, but this book definitely brought me up to speed on the various drugs on the street; seriously, there were several I'd never even heard of. All from age 11.
Cupcake ends up landing a series of 9-5 jobs and eventually seeks help in her mid-20s for her addictions. She goes to rehab, gets cleaned up, goes back to school, and eventually on to law school, where she graduates with honors. In the beginning when Cucpcake was on the street, I had to keep reminding myself that this was real; this really happened to someone. It was a fantastical story - and if true - nothing less than miraculous. I'm notoriously gullibe, but even I had a few moments of doubt about Cupcake's life; surely it was exaggerated or her mom mistakenly named her Cupcake when she meant Job - I don't know. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, though, it was an amazing story.
Some of the chapter endings were a little cheesy (i.e. "I had no idea how much my life was about to change"; "Little did I know this was one promise I would keep;" etc). But overall, Cupcake was immensely likable and how can you not root for someone to turn their life around? Overall, a good read that I'd recommend.
Cupcake Brown, 11 years old, finds her mother dead one morning. Shortly thereafter, she finds out her dad isn't really her father and custody of Cupcake and her brother is given to their biological father, who comes out of the woodwork to collect the Social Security money. Once he has Cupcake and her brother, he promptly drops them off at an abusive foster home. While there, Cupcake is raped, beaten up, and generally abused. She runs away multiple times, but is always deposited back despite her claims - and evidence - of abuse. She eventually runs away for good, ends up hitchhiking, prostituting, joining a gang, robbing, stealing, and taking drugs and drinking 24/7. I know I've led a sheltered life, but this book definitely brought me up to speed on the various drugs on the street; seriously, there were several I'd never even heard of. All from age 11.
Cupcake ends up landing a series of 9-5 jobs and eventually seeks help in her mid-20s for her addictions. She goes to rehab, gets cleaned up, goes back to school, and eventually on to law school, where she graduates with honors. In the beginning when Cucpcake was on the street, I had to keep reminding myself that this was real; this really happened to someone. It was a fantastical story - and if true - nothing less than miraculous. I'm notoriously gullibe, but even I had a few moments of doubt about Cupcake's life; surely it was exaggerated or her mom mistakenly named her Cupcake when she meant Job - I don't know. Giving her the benefit of the doubt, though, it was an amazing story.
Some of the chapter endings were a little cheesy (i.e. "I had no idea how much my life was about to change"; "Little did I know this was one promise I would keep;" etc). But overall, Cupcake was immensely likable and how can you not root for someone to turn their life around? Overall, a good read that I'd recommend.