What’s it like to grow up in a violent, abusive home, take up drugs and alcohol for relief, dive deep into meth addiction, then turn your life around? In this harrowing, yet affirming, memoir, author Mary Beth O’Connor shares her traumatic tale in page-turning prose. Abandoned by her mother to a convent until she was six months old, O’Connor endured years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather, leaving her suffering from PTSD. What began as teenage rebellion, smoking and drinking cheap wine, led to much more serious drug use, including LSD and ultimately meth, which became her drug of choice. O’Connor used meth off and on for the next 15 years. While she managed to graduate from college, she dropped out of law school due to her addictions and worked in low-level jobs that she could never hold for long. Finally, entering rehab, she achieved sobriety. An atheist, O’Connor sought a recovery program that did not rely upon a belief in god, which most 12-step programs require. Returning to law school, she worked in corporate law and ended her career as a federal judge. VERDICT This is a sad but ultimately uplifting story.
This review was published in Library Journal here.
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