Somebody's Daughter: A Memoir

In this book you will find your mother, your sister, your aunt, your grandmother, yourself. If you have ever felt different, odd, misunderstood, tethered, or lost, you will be able to relate to Ms. Ford's recounting of her childhood. This book brings up so much emotion that it's sincerely hard to put it into words. As a Black child who was raised with my cousins until I was 5 and then saw them regularly until I was 9, Ms. Ford's experience speaks volumes. Wanting to be with your family and not feeling part of your family. This does not begin to touch on the theme of having an absent father. This truth telling story is one you will want to do with your mother or your sister to share laughs about the similarities and share tears and discussions about your shared history. Excellent read.

This stunning memoir by Ashley C. Ford touched me in many ways. Writing of her earliest years, Ford spoke about the total lack of fairness she experienced at home with her mother. She dealt with a mother with two distinct personalities. When her mother was nice, she had the personality of " Mama." When she got mad and aggressive, she became "The Mother," who doled out arbitrary and painful punishments. Ashley endured mental and physical abuse from her mother and mother's boyfriends. A part that resonated deeply with me was her experience living with a host of relatives and mother's boyfriends. Moves to other households were usually precipitated by some disastrous occurrence involving her mother. Ford captured the voice of a preteen or teen who had no say in where she would live or go to school. Her happiest times occurred when she lived with her grandmother. Ashley's grandmother was reliable, but hypercritical, frequently schooling Ashley in the lessons of what Other People would think if she acted, dressed or did certain things. According to her grandmother, what Other People thought was paramount and should drive decisions. Very poignant episodes in the book dealt with Ashley visiting her father in prison and just making it to the hospital before her grandmother died of cancer. Even as her relationship with her mother grew better over time, life brought unwelcome changes, some of which motivated her to become a successful writer. Ford's triumph over poverty and domestic upheaval is a remarkable story.

All i have to say is WOW! This book is a memoir and honestly it didn’t feel like one, it was just beautifully written and just flowed. I could picture every detail that was written, i felt the heart breaks , the fear, the anxiety. I felt as if i was in the book. This has to be one of my favorite memoirs that i have ever read. The book is just a treasure and Ashley’s story is inspiring and incredible

She is a child with parents, but she is longing to feel like somebody’s daughter. She is a teenager, then a young adult learning to redefine what love is – of others and herself. The author tackles a childhood of abuse and a rape. But this book is much more than that. This is a powerful story of a young woman who grew up without her father’s presence, although he is very much alive, and the path she took to finding her way to him. Ashley was loved but the feelings bestowed upon her by her mother were sporadic. They were mixed with fear. When she wasn’t being beaten, which started at a very young age, she attempted to discern how to read her mother, how to behave, in order to avoid physical punishment, for something she wasn’t even aware she had done wrong. Not easy for a little girl with no one to turn to for help. As if the actions of a child, let alone anyone, warrant being abused. Fortunately, she had the love of her maternal grandmother and a little brother, later younger siblings. But that did not change the dynamics at home. When Ashley learned at a young age that her father was incarcerated, but not why, she longed for the father she knew of from his loving letters. She wished he could reach her in the real world. As a teenager, Ashley meets a boy who gives her attention in a way that she doesn’t want nor that she asks for. Then, he attacks her. From that day forward, she carries the shame and hurt alone. Out of fear, she felt it was a secret she must keep. What transpires after Ashley is able to get herself through high school and out of the town that simultaneously holds the security of a tight-knit family and horrific memories as well, she is off on the road toward reparation of mind, body, and soul. What the author endures as a young girl is heart-wrenching but there is such beauty in the making of Ashley as she is coming into her own and as she is becoming somebody’s daughter.

Audiobook narrated by the author. She did a great job and I highly recommend listening to this as an audiobook. I’ve only read a few memoirs and I enjoyed them all. This one felt very close to home. I had a similar mother. The author describes her life that is completely relatable. Her honesty is commendable. I thought this would be about her father but its more about her mother. I say that to say that this sentence, sentenced all of them. It was a trickle down effect of many things going wrong. A broken family. My husband had a life sentence for murder so I know about the struggle. Life moves on without them. And then they get out. I think most people will enjoy this. Thanks Macmillan Audio via Netgalley.