The best books (memoirs) to prove it’s possible to defeat our real-life monsters and live happily ever after

I loved this book because it’s a true hero’s journey—from an unimaginable start in life to an awe-inspiring grand finale—Stephanie overcame everything and found light at the end of her dark tunnel. She was abused, abandoned, and on her own from a young age—all things I felt on a visceral level because I know the shame of feeling unloved and unwanted.

The title also struck me because of all we’re promised as citizens in this country,  but our most vulnerable are left without the resources to pursue their happiness. This memoir is not only about the strength of the human spirit but a call to action that we must do better for children who are battling the monsters of poverty and foster care.

Bobi Conn’s story of growing up in poverty was too familiar: the cheap food, a car they push to start, a motel they move into when her father hits her mother, and the frustration of watching our mothers go back because they don’t have the courage to stay gone. Bobi also found refuge at school, which I related to because this was where life was predictable—and we were fed.

The author’s voice is powerful and honest as she shares her trauma, humiliation, and loss. Bobi Conn comes from the holler, deep in Appalachia, and her story is a beautiful testament to the resilience and bravery children are forced to have—and the childhood too many lose along the way.  

This book had me from the opening line of the prologue: ”We make chapels of our scars.” Her descriptions read like poetry, and I highlighted and underlined page after page.

Alice writes about using the chaos of Hurricane Katrina to “fly away” from her home in New Orleans, where she and her children lived with her abusive husband. I loved this book because of the way Alice fought for her children—something I desperately wished my mom had done for me when I was young.

This is a story you won’t put down—no eating, no sleeping—until you know for sure that Alice has defeated all the monsters and her children are living happily ever after. 

Penny’s story grabbed me by the hand and pulled me with her from the first chapter when she’s ripped from the only home she’s ever known and thrown into a car with a strange man who doesn’t even speak her language.

For years, this sweet girl lives with a monstrous stepmother whose abuse is tolerated by everyone but suffered only by Penny. I loved this book because while it’s Penny’s journey, there were many similarities to my life—both of us scrubbing floors like Cinderella and taking care of a sibling who called us “Mama”—and we both not only survived but thrived.

There is comfort in knowing that Penny didn’t believe what the monsters told her about herself, and she didn’t let them write the ending to her fairytale. 

Kimberly Shannon Murphy’s story of unspeakable abuse by a trusted family member is as heartbreaking and harrowing as it is a testament to the importance of truth-telling. If only others had been as brave as Kimberly and spoken up, her abuse wouldn’t have happened.

I loved this story because no matter how hard life was, little Kimberly felt a “glimmer” deep in her soul—magic that promised she would live happily ever after. It’s a raw retelling, but I reminded myself that she lived it, so I owe it to her to read it.

She excavated these memories, bringing them out of the dark and into the bright spotlight where she now stands as an award-winning stuntwoman who defeats monsters on the big screen!