Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford Review

 Title: Somebody’s Daughter 

Author: Ashley C. Ford 

Age Group: Adult 

Genre: Memoir/Nonfiction 

Series: Standalone 

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars 

    I won this book through the Goodreads First Reads program, and I was sent an advanced review copy of this book—thank you so much to Goodreads and the publisher, Flatiron Books! 

TW: Rape on page, child abuse on page, language. If these things trigger you, I would not recommend reading this book; your mental health always matters!  

In honor of Black History Month, I dug through my personal shelves and found Black authors to read; Somebody’s Daughter is an unflinching, honest memoir about a young woman who longs to be loved, by her absent father, who in his jail, her abusive mother who longs for a man to love and take care of her, and her grandmother, who is well-meaning but harsh. Desperate for love, she finds a young man who claims to love her, but then he violates her in one of the most personal ways possible. Set adrift, she loses her drive and her passion for school, stories, and writing. When she is confronted with the truth about her father’s imprisonment, she must decide if she will keep running from her past, or if she will face it once and for all... 

I very much enjoyed this book! It was a short one, clocking in at just over two hundred pages, but I finished it in two days. I loved Ashley, and was rooting for her the entire book. Her struggle really resonated with me, as a child from a broken home myself. Her voice was honest, frank, and quite honestly, absolutely unflinching. I loved her development from a scared little girl into a young woman who is unafraid of standing up for herself and her loved ones. I adored the ending; it was bittersweet but it also felt very true to life. I very much enjoyed reading about Ashley forming healthy, stable relationships and her trip to university; that might have been my very favorite part of the memoir. I related to Ashley on many levels, but particularly her love for words, and stories; that part really spoke to me. I laughed, I cried, I cheered; this might be one of my favorite memoirs I’ve read in 2022. The bottom line: Resilient, passionate, and honest, I loved Somebody’s Daughter! Next on deck: Here For It, Or How to Save Your Soul in America by R. Eric Thomas!