The memoir details Engel’s experience growing up with a neglectful and narcissistic mother, effectively being on her own from the age of four. Key themes include:
described it as a "gut-wrenching, cleareyed coming-of-age memoir" with clean writing that serves the heavy subject matter. Raising Myself: A Memoir of Neglect, Shame, and...
The book follows her through a "minefield" of childhood characters—including religious fanatics and child molesters—and her struggle to avoid falling into cycles of crime or self-destruction. The memoir details Engel’s experience growing up with