Angela Howard recounts how she persevered through her traumatic childhood to come out the other side as a successful nurse, motivational speaker, educator and parent. “Sin Child” (March 31, 2020, Books Fluent) is the personal account of a strong-minded child who endured a daily struggle to find the smallest amount of acceptance and, many times, a place to fall asleep at night. Angela came to accept loss, abuse, and organized crime as a natural part of her life. The innocence and nostalgia of a one-traffic-light town fades too fast for the cotton-top child with a neglectful, angry mother and an absent father.

The AIDS epidemic and simple abandonment repeatedly robbed her of friends and loved ones. This emotionally raw autobiography continues the national discussion about the role of childhood trauma in a person’s development. Angela tells the riveting story of childhood trauma and abandonment, alongside a narrative of grit and determination.

It is a gutsy and insightful story without a silver lining. There is no knight in shining armor that rescues the damsel in distress. It shows resiliency and maturity of a child who becomes a strong and respected woman through her own resolve to overcome extreme neglect and abuse to survive and achieve. By sharing her own life with us, Angela shows how self-reflection and knowledge, with a huge dose of perseverance, can entirely change the course of someone’s life.