Winner of the 2020 Best Books Awards in the category of African American fiction
Winner of the Readers Favorite 2021 Readers' Favorite International Book Award Contest in the Urban Fiction category


When twenty-four-year-old Tara Walker goes home for her brother's funeral, she discovers the secret journal she started when she was eight. As she reads, she is pulled back into her complicated, raw, and often frightening childhood, where drug addiction, alcoholism and predators brought chaos into her privileged, middle-class home.


Through the love and guidance of her hard-working parents, Tara navigates these threats and matures into a smart, strong, young woman. Yet, even as she celebrates small personal victories, she spirals into a dark depression from disturbing family secrets and rejection. Through it all, she journals her changing perspective on the world around her and continues to smile in the face of adversity.


When it's time for Tara to become a mother herself, she must once again conquer her traumatic past to discover the true meaning of life, happiness, family and unconditional love. Tara's gripping, raw and illuminating coming-of-age journey will captivate readers as they watch this intelligent black child grow into an extraordinary black woman.