Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found

In this luminously written memior, Jennifer Lauck revisits her extraordinarily difficult childhood. Her mother’s lengthy illness led to a reversal of roles, casting Lauck as the caretaker in the relationship. Worse, shortly after her mother’s passing, Lauck’s father married a woman who might best be described as an “evil stepmother.” Lauck’s pitch-perfect evocation of her younger self’s point of view and her resilience in the face of emotional and physical hardship make this an unfogettable read.