NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • “Intimate and illuminating and, as is true of most anything Quindlen writes, well worth the read.”—People

“A compelling and suspenseful [novel] that goes straight to the gut.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 
For eighteen years Fran Benedetto kept her secret, hid her bruises. She stayed with...

This volume is the second installment of a trilogy of books which depict the life of the author, who as a young boy was physically, emotionally, and psychologically abused by his obsessive mother. The book discusses Pelzer's struggling with his ability to fit in and adapt to the new environment around him as he is put into foster care. It also talks about the kindness of his foster parents and other people around him as well as his inability to brush...