Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford

BOOK 57 OF 2021

RATING: 5/5

I was a bit familiar with Ashley C. Ford, and was excited when I saw her book was a May Libro.fm ALC (advanced listening copy) pick. She has a big presence on Twitter, and know she is friends with Roxane Gay, one of my favourite writers (and after reading this book, learned that Gay was her mentor!), so I knew.

Like most memoirs, this book took just a little bit for me to get into. I enjoyed the beginning, but once I hit about the 20% mark I couldn't stop listening to it. Ford chronicles her life growing up without her father, who for the majority of her life was in jail, and for a long time she didn't know why. Her father serves as the backdrop of the story: her longing for him to come home, holding on to his letters that share how proud he is of her and how much he loves her, and finds comfort in one day knowing she'll get to see him again. She holds on to this through the complicated relationship with her mother, her rape, her poverty, her struggling to figure out what she wants to do with the rest of her life.

Ford is an exquisite writer and this is hands down the best memoir I've read in a long time (this of course includes Crying in H Mart, which I listened to lately and absolutely loved)!!! Her voice is so distinct and readable I can't wait to see what she does next.

Thank you so much Libro.fm and Flatiron Books for an advanced copy of this book to listen to. I would highly recommend getting this book on audio!