Who Is Antoinette "Tonie" Punch? The formative years of her life were for the most part, dark and full of misery. During this period, her hopes and dreams collided with a brutal reality. Her emotions controlled her actions and sunshine was scarce. The hurt she experienced during this time was non-stop. By six years of age she knew about sex, physical and mental abuse, suicide, drugs and alcohol through the adults in here life that were supposed to protect her. Throughout her childhood she experienced nightmarish rape and the worst part is that she knew her attackers. They were family and "supposed" family, neighbors and so-called friends. She was lost and often suicidal seeing very few alternatives to her situation. Witnessing and experiencing several tragic events her life turned her into a walking time bomb. From her own mother using her as bait to keep men around, to becoming a mother at 14 years of age, to the streets, being homeless, jail, drugs and gangs, her journey gives proof that you can survive just about anything. However, you can't survive an upbringing like that without physical and mental scars, but no matter how hopeless your situation may seem, there is always hope. At least, that was the idea she clung to when there was nothing else to keep her going. But don't misunderstand, her story is more than it seems. There is an underlying message of hope even when there doesn't seem to be a single thing in the world to be hopeful about. If you have struggled in life (even a little) her story will give you the inspiration you need to keep fighting even when it seems like whole world is against you. And if you're a parent, you'll not only get an inside look at how your actions affect your children (even when you think they don't see) in ways you could never imagine, but also how it's possible to reach a child who seems out of reach thinking that no one understands them. If you or someone you know is in need of a little inspiration or understanding, you just may find it here.