Hello writers!
I'm very excited about today's post. Today, I will be writing a book review on the memoir "A Piece of Cake" by Cupcake Brown. This is a can't-put-down, page-turner of a story. This tale will make you laugh, cry, mad and happy - and that was just the first chapter!
The memoir begins in 1976. Cupcake La'Vette Brown was eleven years old. She was living in California with her mother and older brother, Larry. She also had a close relationship with her "daddy" (who turns out not to be her biological father) and her Uncle, her mother's brother, Jr. Despite the teasing of ignorant schoolmates about her "ugly" appearance and her often "fight-to-the-death" battles with her brother, Cupcake (or Cup) has a pretty good life. That is, until her mother's untimely death.
When her mother dies, so does Cup's childhood. She and Larry are forcibly (despite legally) taken from her daddy and Uncle Jr. to seemingly live with their biological father, Mr. Burns. Mr. Burns, as it turns out, has no interest in raising his children and promptly turns the kids over to the maniacal Diane Dobson and her equally sinister daughter, Connie. Diane runs a foster home and takes Cup and Larry there to become her tormented, tortured servants. Their lives, especially Cup's, go from bad to worse to HELL.
After physical and mental abuse, Cup runs away. She does this many times over the years and meets a cast of characters in her travels. From Candy, who introduces Cup to prostitution to Brett, the love of her life, Cup's experiences change her in ways most people cannot imagine or survive. Cup has seen and done it all - from prostitution to drug use and gangbanging to alcoholism - Cup's life is a roller coaster of ups and many downs.
When Cup reaches adulthood, things don't get better - they get much worse. There is her constant drug use and drinking, fighting while drunk, getting kicked out of clubs, endangering her life on many occassions. Cup runs scams, incurs debt, lies, cheats and steals. For many years, while under the influence, she has no remorse over her actions. She doesn't care about others and especially herself (her abortion scenes are proof of this).
Finally, Cup hits rock bottom and she lands hard. One day, after seeing her disheveled appearance in a mirror, Cup decides that she has had enough. Her reflection scares her into making a change. It's a slow process that takes many years, but Cup's determination to rebuild herself pays off - big time. Cup goes from working at a prestigious law firm as a legal secretary to interning for a prestigious judge to graduating with honors and becoming a lawyer. It is literally a miraculous transformation.
I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who is looking for inspiration in their lives. This is the comeback story to end all comeback stories. As a writer, I was mesmerized by the language and the power of the author's showing. Her words created an immediate visual in my mind. As a teacher, I would love to share this book with my students and discuss the many issues that it addresses. This book is a masterpiece.
Today's Tip - If you're interested in memoir writing, buy this book!
Ciao for now! Start writing (and reading)!
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