Somebody’s Daughter, a memoir - Ashley C. Ford

Ashley C. Ford’s writing translates her heartbreaking but inspiring story into Somebody’s Daughter. This memoir explores her relationships with her siblings, father and boys as well sexuality, growing up and poverty. But what really shines is Ashley’s story with her mother one so complicated that is hard to explain with just the read of the book.

Somebody’s daughter is divided into a few chapters, each exploring a different part of her life. Some would argue that the book lacks a narrative line, I would argue the same but, I don’t think in this book it was necessary all the way. The chapters feel like anecdotes but they end up linking with one common theme: Ashley’s story of growing up. Further on, it also explores vastly her sometimes abusive relationship with her mother but the love she still shares for her.

I found it fascinating how she was able to use her story with her mother not to villainize her but to describe her own character to the reader. You as a reader must interpret what Ashley writes and understand who Ashley is. She is not writing this to make her mother the villain in her story nor is she trying to excuse her actions, she is just showing you what and how things happened when she was growing up.

I also loved her relationship with her siblings. It was rendering and filled with absolute love. I could see when reading that she is completely in love with them and you can really see she would do everything for them.

Ashley of course is also going through the terrible part of her life when her father is in jail. She grows up knowing he is imprisoned but finds out later on why. The heartbreaking truth changes Ashley. She is in no way in a position to pardon his father for his wrongdoings but, she still loves him. This relationship even if it’s not the most prominent in the book, still touches Ashley in many ways. SHe misses her father, someone who has done something terrible, someone, who she looks up to, and she has to live with every day.

Of course, Ashley goes into her rape story, one that again, she is not trying to write about for you to feel sorry about her but to rather show the reader who Ashley is. It’s a hard read, wonderfully written and heartbreaking all in one.

Ashley is a writer, a journalist and you can really see her style shining through. The words glide over yor¡ur eyes in the most wonderful way even when she is telling the most heartbreaking parts of her story. Tears fall down your eyes when you read Ashley’s story as her words touch you in the warmest but most heartbreaking way.

This memoir shows you who Ashley C. Ford is, with her ups and mostly downs but she is describing the pivotal points in her growing up story. You explore along with young Ashley things that many women of colour and young girls have to go through because of the hardships of the world. She is teaching the readers that these things happen and she is showing us that they happened to her. I cannot wait to read what else Ashley publishes.