Martha Blair wrote this book to share her mother's story: the memories that are half in light and half in shadows. She cannot recall everything that happened but she can recall enough to tell people this story of survival. In this book she talks what it was like to have no childhood. She was raised by a mother who haunted by her demons. She brought me up the best way she knew how - but something, her best was damaging and dangerous. She lost her when she was very young to a drunk driving accident. She learned the harsh realities of life before she died and after, we well. In her journey, the most rewarding thing she did was learning not to judge her mother in anger and hate. She learned to understand her fears and insecurities, and to empathize with her. She is really proud that she made it this far all by herself. It wasn't easy to survive the trauma of her difficult childhood. But she did it. And now she can say that lived to tell the tale.