I'm Nobody

As sixteen-year-old Erma Steppe stood in a one-room apartment over a bar in Columbus, Ohio, her mother said to her, "You are nobody." With no money, no clothes, and a rumbling stomach, Erma retreated into herself as her angry and intoxicated mother continued a familiar rant. Erma had always been her victim.

In her poignant autobiography, Erma Steppe shares her heartbreaking story of a life shaped by desperate attempts to hear the words "I love you" from her mother. Abandoned as a toddler, Erma's quest for love would lead her through years of abuse, neglect, broken glass, blood, and black eyes- through an uncertain childhood spent in and out of children's homes and foster homes. In her struggle to find her mother and reconcile her past, Erma embarks on an unforgettable journey through the darkness of abuse to reach a new life on the other side where she would eventually learn to heal, forgive, and most importantly, feel safe and loved.

"I'm Nobody" offers a brutally honest glimpse into what it is like to grow up without a mother's love and how one woman reached from within and found the courage to survive despite facing insurmountable odds.