The Sky Isn't Visible from Here

Reading Felicia Sullivan's memoir, The Sky Isn't Visible from Here, reminded me just how resilient we humans can be.

Circumstances beyond our control can knock us down every which way, and yet somehow we find the wherewithal to stand back up.

Felicia Sullivan certainly fell down a few times, and who can blame her? Her childhood was a nightmare, complete with drug-addicted mother, questionable role models, dubious father figures, the feeling that she was "different," and so much more.

Her escape from Brooklyn to attend college in New England - and at all - speaks to her indomitable spirit and strength.

But her descent into addiction - all the while rising both professionally and economically - is understandable. Sadly in her case, you can take the girl out of Brooklyn, but you can't take Brooklyn out of the girl. Drugs, the plague of her mother, became the very tonic to soothe her troubled soul as she navigated her newly expanded world at college and for much of her twenties.

The fact that she wrote this memoir - a book as raw and choppy as she must have felt inside - is evidence of her ultimate triumph: the ability to face her past.

I found The Sky Isn't Visible from Here to be a gripping read. Sullivan's voice is street smart and wise - the voice of a child who has seen too much too soon and now, as a young adult, can finally paint a picture with her words.

She does it well, and I believe many people will be able to relate.

If you would like the opportunity to win a copy of this book, go to Parent Bloggers and leave a comment.