Brown, Cupcake. A piece of cake: a memoir.

BROWN, Cupcake. A piece of cake: a memoir. Read by Bahni Turpin. 17 cds. 21 hrs. Books on Tape. 2006. 1-4159-2693-x. $96.00. Vinyl; content notes. SA

I'm a librarian at a women's prison where I witness so many people like Cupcake. Cupcake was a victim of a child welfare system gone awry, where children are put into deplorably exploitive and abusive foster homes. Like Cupcake, they run, are found, brought back, run again, and go to even worse situations until reaching a fragile, stunted adulthood. Prostitution provides cash for the basics but, unfortunately, self-medication with drugs and alcohol quickly becomes the primary need. The tough girls, like Cupcake, may turn to gang life for a sense of belonging, false dignity, and protection, but that comes with a price as well--often death in gang shoot-outs or prison for hustling. Cupcake escaped both, but reached bottom in her addiction. She was lucky to cultivate enough friends outside "the life" who cared for her and who were willing to help. She embraced the 12 Steps, relapsed, went back into recovery, and finally found healing and success.

This is a harrowing narrative that spares the listener no detail of the physical, emotional, and psychological havoc caused by drug addiction and the life that often leads to it. Cupcake has all the "attitude" of the heroines of urban fiction but, unlike many of those characters, she found spiritual redemption. Turpin is an exceptional narrator, bringing passion and fire to the wild, emotional roller coaster ride of Brown's tale. Gritty, often funny, this is a journey into hell and back. Explicit language. Nancy Crowder Chaplin, Libn., VCCW, Goochland, VA

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.