Review: American Daughter: A Memoir

Summary: In a moving memoir, interior designer Stephanie Thornton Pymale comes to terms with her past, understands her dying mother and finds out her family history.

TW: Child sexual abuse, child abuse, gang rape, child abandonment, drug/alcohol use, mental illness episodes, physical and emotional threats, attempted abortion, miscarriage of a baby

Review: Through the grace of God go I.

It's a miracle that Stephanie survived her childhood. She was one of six children who lived with a dysfunctional mother who was on drugs and mentally ill. Stephanie and her siblings were in and out of foster care and she was subjected to abuse. She was also shy, behind in school and didn't learn how to read until she was 10.  As a teen, her path changed for the better when she met fellow teen Jim, who eventually became her husband. She went to college and became an successful interior designer and CEO of a interior design school in Oregon.

When she receives word that her mother is dying of lung cancer, Stephanie starts on a path of learning more about her mother and reconciles her past.  What she learns is far more that she expected. It turns out that Stephanie's mother was decedents of powerful businessmen, educators and a Founding Father. A series of tragic events as a preteen, including one so heartbreaking, changes her mother's life and sends her down a spiral that she never got out of.  Stephanie also tries to come to terms with her stepfather and other family members and tries to figure out the identity of her biological father.

This book is the testament of love, patience, forgiveness, resilience and understanding. Stephanie didn't have the world's best relationship with her mother. But learning about why her mother became the way she was gave her much needed understanding. It also allowed her to realize that her mother wasn't going to be June Cleaver. Jim was a very patient man and understood the struggles that Stephanie went through her whole life and has stood by her for almost 40 years.  Stephanie also allowed herself to bring in family members, alive and deceased, into her life.

This book was a powerful and quick read. It kept my attention and the story flowed. I would recommend this book for people who want to read a well-written memoir with a lot of heart and inspiration.