A review by lucia_marley13
American Daughter by Stephanie Thornton Plymale, Elissa Wald

dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

This is an incredible story of growth and resilience. It’s a memoir about a woman who grew up with an emotional abusive and negligent mother. She was in and out of foster care, sometimes homeless, and yet was able to overcome all of that and become a stable and successful adult. This woman endured so much during her life, it’s honestly unimaginable that something like this could happen to anyone. Even more unimaginable that she was able to accomplish so much after being raised the way she was. 

I definitely don’t think this book is for everyone, it got pretty dark. And knowing this was true made it even more difficult to get through those parts. I cried several times. Honestly, the mother in this story reminded me of my own mother. The emotional manipulation and selfishness were very familiar to me. I found it relatable in many places, but it was also often hard to read. 

Honestly I am not sure if I would recommend this or not. It wasn’t easy, but for me it was healing. The power of the human spirit is incredible.