To call this book a memoir would be an injustice as it is so much more than that. Emi Nietfeld writes about growing up with a mother who is a hoarder and the insecurities that that brings. The author doesn't hold back in describing her mother's struggles but does so with a daughter's eye of compassion. How else to describe trying to sleep in a hovel filled with things but not hating her mother? Emi knows that this isn't the life that she wants and is relentless in her drive to attend Harvard despite all the obstacles.
Emi's journey includes living for a period with Foster parents, people who are so rigid in their Christian belief that they are appalled by the “pornographic” art history flash cards of Michelangelo’s David that Emi uses to study.
There's so much in this debut work to absorb. Addiction, sexual identity, hoarding, mental health issues and the driving force of a teenager to not only to survive but to overcome everything that has been in her past.

* I read an advance copy and was not compensated.