Loved to experience this memoir as an audiobook! Ashley's voice is full of charm and animation, and she easily brings voices alive. She handles difficult topics and conversations with grace, and makes her experiences accessible and relatable, despite whatever differences. ARC from NetGalley. :)

Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford is a beautifully written, vulnerable memoir. The book largely covers her childhood, being raised by a single mother with two siblings. Her father was incarcerated when she was very young and is released over twenty years later. As a child, Ford is incredibly sensitive and smart, which could be at odds with her chaotic home environment and mother’s mercurial moods. Although it’s clear her mother loves her, she doesn’t always express it. Her own hardships and stress as sole provider made being a parent incredibly challenging. Ford finds respite away from home as she develops positive relationships and then blossoms in college. Throughout the memoir, you really get a great sense of the author’s conflicting feelings about her family. They have a deep love for each other, but parts of the relationship are quite toxic. I loved Ford’s journey to find herself outside of the long shadow her family cast and re-finding a place with her family. I listened to the audiobook, in which Ford masterfully narrates her own memoir.

Thank you Flatiron Books and Macmillan Audio for providing this ARC.

When I heard about this memoir, I had never heard of Ashley C. Ford. However I really trusted the source, so I thought I would give this a try. What I found was a very thoughtful writer, who put herself entirely on the page for her readers.

Ford grew up in poverty. Her father was in prison and she had issues with her mother and the men she would bring into her and her brother’s lives. As she grows up she is put into some impossible positions including being raped by her first boyfriend at a very young age.

This was a solid memoir that Ford wrote. You will laugh and cry with her as she tells her very personal story of growing up to where she is now. This is a memoir that I think will be loved by many people.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In January of 2021 Ashley C. Ford was a Keynote speaker at the Ontario Library Association Superconference, and immediately after her session I preordered her book, knowing that I needed both the physical copy and the audiobook. She was such an amazing speaker, and I had no doubt that her memoir would be just as captivating and honest, and I was right. I love when author's read their own memoirs, it provides a certain vulnerability that rawness to the writing. I could hear her joy, her pain, and all of the conflicting emotions she felt in her voice, and in the way she chose to tell her stories.

* Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced audiobook copy of this book.

In <i>Somebody's Daughter</i>, Ashley Ford recounts growing up black in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with an incarcerated father and quick-tempered mother. The story continues into adulthood, as she goes to college and eventually moves to New York.

The blurb of this book made it sound like it would mostly be about her relationship with her dad, but in actuality, he made up very little of the book. In fact, in an interview with another author at the end of the book, she acknowledged that she originally intended for it to be all about her dad, but she found she couldn't do it without writing about her mom. I wish the blurb had reflected the finished product. Additionally, I thought the book could have used some editing to make the story more linear. I enjoyed learning about her childhood. I especially liked that she narrated her own memoir in the audiobook version.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

An incredibly vulnerable memoir of childhood trauma and resiliency that was amazing on audio! The author writes in beautifully descriptive prose and talks about her life growing up as a poor Black girl in Indiana with an absent father incarcerated for rape and an emotionally distant/abusive mother. While Ashley grew up surrounded by family she never had a stable home-life and this affected her performance in school and overall mental health. For a long time she idealized her absent father thinking life would only be better if he were there to give her the love she yearned for. When her grandmother reveals the truth about her father it ends up putting everything she thought she knew about her life into question. Highly recommend listening to this memoir on audio read by the author and dripping with emotion. There is also a great bonus interview with the author included at the end where she talks about her writing process and the challenge of writing a memoir about her family's troubled relationships and past. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ALC of this great new memoir out June 1st.

TW: rape, domestic and sexual abuse

Ashley Ford's memoir Somebody's Daughter is a tour de force as she reckons with the complicated realities of life and the nuance found in relationships.

There is her incarcerated father, one whom she loves unconditionally and yet later has to come to terms with the crimes that led to his imprisonment; a mother who provides but struggles to show affection and support, and an early relationship that left her vulnerable.

While not everyone may have firsthand experience of the accounts Ford vividly relays, she writes in such a way that I couldn't help drawing parallels to my own family. Themes of separation, hardship, and yet finding hope and perseverance shine through the pages. One can't help but be heartbroken when Ford is wronged by the teacher, for instance, or cheer when she finds acceptance and success. Somebody's Daughter is relatable for its transparency and the truth within the pages, as Ford succinctly shares a nugget like, "Kids can always tell the difference between adults who want to empower them and adults who want to overpower them."

The audiobook, read by the author, is expertly done. We fully understand that "moving forward required going back," and we are grateful that Ford was willing to share her journey with us.

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

Somebody's Daughter
by: Ashley C. Ford
narrated by: Ashley C. Ford
reviewed by: Jennifer Smith "Page Journeys"
Her own voice delivers the words of her powerful story as Ashley C. Ford narrates her honest, raw, and heart-wrenching memoir. That same voice conveys her ultimate redemption in her adulthood, as she found closeness in relationships and the joy of fully being and loving herself. Her childhood was complicated, painful, and complex. It's often difficult to go on Ford's journey to her past as she traces memories of abuse, poverty, hurt, dysfunctional family relationships, and her father's incarceration. I was moved as Ford described how she sometimes laughed and cried as she struggled to climb the mountain of barriers she faced growing up.
As one who myself finds comfort in libraries, I noticed how she took solace in libraries both in her childhood and throughout her life. She had a teacher who told her that she was special. Early in the book, I knew Ford's story was one that had to be told, and her readers will be grateful for her vulnerability and truthfulness in telling it. Later in her memoir, she described how, early in her career, she decided that she needed to write about everything.
A lovely bonus to the audiobook is a discussion Between Ford and journalist, writer, and poet Clint Smith. She describes the emotional intensity of writing Somebody's Daughter. Smith gives insight into his new novel, How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America. Both share their writing journeys, processes, and purposes.
Thank you to Net Galley and Mcmillan Audio for an Advanced Reader's Copy of this audiobook, and my opportunity to provide my review.

This raw and vulnerable memoir by Ashley C. Ford challenges the traditional expectations of what families owe each other. Ford was raised primarily by her mother and grandmother after her father’s incarceration when she was a young child. Her tenuous relationship with her mother is highlighted in contrast to her conflicted feelings about her devoted but isolated father. Ford does not shy away from discussing the difficult parts of her childhood and adolescence and left me in awe of her resilience. She unwaveringly explores the feelings of shame and uncertainty inherent in childhood and their long lasting effects. As an adult that works in health and human services, I found this to be a moving example of the tangible consequences trauma can have. I would highly recommend the audiobook as it is read by the author and includes an excellent conversation between Ashley C. Ford and fellow author Clint Smith that adds another layer of complexity and a new lens through which to view Ford’s story. Smith’s book, “How the Word is Passed” is also expected out on June 1, 2021.

Recommended for: lovers of memoirs, adults working in social or human services work, anyone who wants to experience a glimmer of the human experience from Ford’s perspective.

Content Warnings: Physical and sexual violence, abuse, rape, parent/child conflict

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for early access to this very moving audiobook!

Ashley’s life story is heartbreaking, raw, and beautiful. It’s never easy hearing about a child who is disrespected physically and emotionally—and who isn’t allowed to really be a child at all. Ashley was willing to share all of herself and it was incredible to hear her perseverance through things that would easily break the spirit of so many others.

I felt so many emotions as I listened to her story. I also experienced a lot of introspection, specifically as a mother. The only negative for me was the section on snakes. I don’t do snakes, hate to hear them described in detail, and truly couldn’t handle that section well.

But overall this is a beautiful memoir narrated by the author, and I am so grateful to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio ARC.

I didn't know who Ashley Ford was before this book was recommended. I am sad I don't know more about her work because this was a very heartfelt memoir. Ashley's childhood was eye opening and sad but joyful at times too. She wrote it sharing the facts and took bravery to share. My heart went out to Ashley and her siblings as a child, while also feeling for her mom and her struggles. I love that she narrates her own book too.

𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒓: 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒏 ALC 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 Macmillan Audio 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘.

WOW. This audiobook was amazing, and I absolutely loved that the author voice narrated her own memoir. It was deeply poignant, heartbreaking, and complex. I also really appreciated the author's note mentioning that writing this memoir helped her work through some events that happened in her childhood that she hadn't truly came to terms with, even if she thought she had. Navigating through life is not a straight line, especially while struggling with your mental health, identity, and self image.

So thank you Ashley for sharing your story with the world.

Definitely one of the best memoirs I've read, as much in the writing style, as the way the author opens up.

Ashley C. Ford’s memoir, Somebody’s Daughter is a journey of hope and strength. Honesty, hurt and healing flow throughout while intertwining continuously. But, there is strength behind it all.

Somebody’s Daughter follows Ashley C. Ford’s life with a single mother, incarcerated father and her beloved grandmother. We see the struggle both physical and emotional in this coming of age story where family dynamics and secrets affect everyone involved, but differently.

I listened to this memoir as an audiobook and loved how personal and raw the events were especially when read by the author. Complex and captivating. A definite must read!

Somebody’s Daughter was actually my first audio book, and I may have to swear off audiobooks because I don’t know how any will live up to this in the future. Ashley Ford’s memoir is a coming-of-age story that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Sometimes I laughed and sometimes I cried and sometimes I cringed, but I was engrossed in every single word. The fact that it was read by Ford herself made it even that much more powerful. I cannot recommend this book enough and I am so thankful to NetGalley, Macmillan, and Flatiron Books for the opportunity to have heard it early.

I loved this book. I think I didn't expect it to be so deep and vulnerable and raw. I really enjoyed listening to the author speak her own story. I usually like to read books but when it comes to someone speaking or reading their own narrative I love it and Ashley didn't disappoint!

Most reviewers seem to have loved this memoir, and I'm struggling to pinpoint why I found it just average. There was nothing that stuck out to me that I didn't like, but nothing about it really made me go "wow" either. I think for me to really love a memoir it has to either have really spectacular writing or be about a really interesting life. The writing here was good but not amazing. I can't fault the author for not having an "interesting enough" life -- not much she could do about that, and her life actually does sound pretty interesting, it just wasn't told in a way that highlighted that. So maybe the problem I had was that the book didn't focus enough on the interesting bits. The way it's marketed led me to think it would focus more on her father's incarceration and her mother's abuse, and how those things affected her relationships with both of them, but those topics were not actually dealt with all that much. The fact that that expectation wasn't met left me feeling a little disappointed.

A raw and brave memoir of a life lived under duress. The author grows up with a disconnected mother, an imprisoned father, and traumatic secrets. Somebody's Daughter is her attempt to lay those demons to rest. And along the way she takes us all on a harrowing journey that can't help but make us grow.

Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford is a book you are going to see everywhere this year. I suspect it will be on a lot of “best” lists and bookshelves. I listened to the audiobook and I highly recommend reading it this way. Ford narrates the book and she does it beautifully. I love hearing someone’s story in their own voice, and when it’s a voice like Ashley C. Ford’s, even better. There was something about the way she told her story that particularly touched me. Several times I wanted to reach through my phone and hug the little girl that was going through so much. She wanted nothing more than to be cherished but couldn’t understand that the pain the adults in her life were experiencing was not her fault, although she took the brunt.

Without giving too much away, we learn of young Ashley being raised by her single mother and grandmother, single because Ashley’s father had been incarcerated for most of her life. I found it ironic that despite her father being incarcerated for a violent crime, he was the main source of warmth and acceptance in her life. Even though, or maybe because, she had so little contact with him, she always felt treasured by him and that she was a source of great pride for him. In contrast, her mother, who to be fair had been through a lot herself, was brutal to Ashley physically and mentally. But at least she was there…for the most part. And when her mother struggled, her grandmother was there to step in.

The main theme of this memoir is family. Ford touches on the importance of family to your own identity and standing by the people you are closest to. But she also learns that sometimes it’s ok and necessary to step away from toxic relationships or at least define them on your own terms. This book is also about resilience and how it’s possible to overcome negative events and childhood messages. Ford doesn’t present herself as a victim, but as a survivor, and you can’t help but cheer for her.

Beautifully written and told, I hope this memoir is a great success. Thanks to MacMillan Audio for an advance audiobook via NetGalley.

This was so well written and so well told on audio. I couldn’t stop listening and finished this in one day. Ashley does so well at detailing complicated and troubling family dynamics.

Somebody’s Daughter caught me by surprise, and it will go down as one of my top reads of 2021. I went into reading this well-written memoir knowing very little about the author. This story of her life is equal parts powerful and beautiful and painful.

I am so grateful for the chance to listen to Ashley share her story in her own voice.

Thanks to NetGalley and Libro.fm for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this memoir.