Thanks for stopping by! I'm Cori and I'm happy you've found your way here. If you're wondering why my blog is called "Let's Eat Grandpa," it's an old grammar joke: Let's eat, grandpa! Let's eat grandpa! (Punctuation saves lives.) 
Breaking Night by Liz Murray
Read: because I heard an interview with Liz Murray on NPR and immediately put her book on hold at the library (Hyperion, 352 pages, originally published September 2010)
Rating: 9 out of 10 (finished 10/31/10)
Synopsis: When Murray was born in 1980, her former beatnik father was in jail for illegally trafficking in prescription painkillers, and her mother, a cokehead since age 13, had just barely missed losing custody of their year-old daughter, Lisa. Murray and her sister grew up in a Bronx apartment that gradually went to seed, living off government programs and whatever was left after the parents indulged their drug binges; Murray writes that drugs were the “wrecking ball” that destroyed her family– prompting her mother’s frequent institutionalization for drug-induced mental illness and leading to her parents inviting in sexual molesters. By age 15, with the help of her best friend Sam and an elusive hustler, Carlos, she took permanently to the streets, relying on friends, sadly, for shelter. With the death of her mother, her runaway world came to an end, and she began her step-by-step plan to attend an alternative high school, which eventually led to a New York Times scholarship and acceptance to Harvard. In this incredible story of true grit, Murray went from feeling like “the world was filled with people who were repulsed by me” to learning to receive the bountiful generosity of strangers who truly cared.
Overall Impression: I wrote about Liz Murray when I first heard her interviewed on NPR, and I really wanted to read her memoir. It did not disappoint! I spent a lovely rainy weekend up at a cabin, and sat around reading Liz’s survival story all day, taking in all that she went through and how she overcame such incredible odds to “make it” in the world. Her writing was accessible and beautiful and gritty. Some of it was hard to read — I felt very protective of her and I found I just wanted to make everything OK. Sometimes I felt frustrated with her, and wanted her to make better decisions, the whole time realizing that no one ever taught her to make better decisions. It also reinforced my belief in education — if you can reach kids in a way they can understand (the school Murray attended had some non-traditional methods, along with some phenomenal teachers), they can find out what they are passionate about and have a better chance at succeeding in life. Breaking Night also is a lesson in starting over — it is never too late.
The memoir ended sort of abruptly with her acceptance to Harvard. I wonder if she’s considering writing another memoir on her life after Breaking Night ends. I’d love to read how she handled college and beyond.
OH! And toward the end she quoted one of her teachers: “Let’s eat, grandpa! Lets eat grandpa! Punctuation saves lives.” It had me smiling till the end of the book.
I have a close friend who grew up in a similar situation — a drug-addicted yet loving mother who eventually died due to complications of her drug use and pnemonia. I’ve seen first-hand how this as affected my friend, and, thankfully, how she has also managed to rise above her situation and graduate from college. She now works with children with autism. For every story that is published, there must be a thousand that aren’t. Who in your life is inspiring to you?
Pros: Just an all-around inspiring well-written memoir.
Cons: An abrupt ending. I don’t feel like I got the complete story.
Extras: Liz Murray’s nonprofit Manifest Living, which feeds homeless kids across the country. Manifest Living on Facebook. Follow Liz on Twitter.
Other books I’ve read by Liz Murray: none
Other blogger opinions: The Black Sheep Dances, Esmerelda’s Book Thing, and Dog Ear
