by Christina Rickardsson
Reviewed by Lynne:
A heartrending story of survival told from the point of view of a homeless child in a Brazilian favela. It begins with a recounting of shocking poverty, hunger, and unfathomable violence, followed by a jarring cultural transition, when the girl is suddenly (and somewhat involuntarily) adopted and must learn to navigate a new life in Sweden. Through all this trauma, the author manages to overlay a theme of maternal love, loss, and transcendence. This memoir is short, hard to read, and impossible to put down.