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knittyreader's review against another edition
5.0
I received a free copy through Netgalley, in turn for an honest review.
shelbitedeschi's review
4.0
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Classism, Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Gaslighting, Torture, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Cancer, Child abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Infidelity, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Medical content, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, and Violence
mnqmariah's review against another edition
5.0
From the very first page, I couldn’t put the book down. It is a must-read for anyone who has grappled with trauma or wrestled with the complexities of family relationships, particularly mother-daughter dynamics.
After finishing this book, I am left deeply moved and profoundly touched. Without a doubt, I will be adding a hard copy of American Daughter to my home library collection, as it is a treasure to be revisited and shared with others.
gray_05_sea's review
3.0
swiss_miss_73's review
4.25
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Child abuse
pagesofgabriella's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, my first memoir of 2021 is in the books and it was a heavy one. Thank you [#partner] @bibliolifestyle and @harperonebooks for this gifted copy.
This book just came out yesterday 1/12/21 so it’s hot off the press!
There are quite a few triggers in this one that I want to make clear to anyone who is interested in picking up this deeply moving book. Those triggers include: sexual assault, pedophilia, suicide, drug addiction, miscarriage, mental illness, loss of a parent, and child abuse.
Stephanie Thornton Plymale has experienced incomprehensible trauma that took root before she even came into the world. She lacked basic care and nourishment and was often found homeless or trapped in a dangerous foster home, her mother was in and out of jail and psych wards her whole childhood, and her siblings were all separated from her, leaving her to fend for herself.
What truly sets this book apart is the longing Stephanie still had, despite it all, to learn about her mother’s life as she learns that her mother is dying of cancer. She somehow had the strength to put aside the pain and trauma her mother supplied her with, to sit down with her and learn her story. Despite having read this story (in one sitting by the way) I still can’t begin to understand how difficult it must have been for Stephanie to put her mother’s story to paper. To have to dredge through her own trauma to put her mother’s story and life first.
To think that Stephanie kept her story to herself for 50 years is heartbreaking. The courage that it took her to share this story with the world is incredible, and this memoir is a brutal glimpse into the foster care system in America and the lives of children who fell through the cracks because of a broken system.