The cover blurb of this book says “The astonishing true story of survival, courage and overcoming the odds”. There is mention of Oprah in the author’s bio. It’s fair to say that I approached this memoir tentatively and perhaps cynically. Despite my cynicism, I was rewarded with a genuinely inspiring read. The memoir traces Liz Murray’s life from birth up until she was accepted at Harvard (sequel perhaps?). It is indeed an astonishing story of survival, courage and overcoming the odds – the book lives up to the blurb!
The most astonishing thing of all to me though, was the memoirist’s ability to recall moments in detail from her very early childhood. I am someone who can only remember snippets, so reading these memories of Murray’s, written chronologically and in such detail is extraordinary for someone with a memory like mine. Murray writes quite beautifully most of the time and the times she veers into pathos I easily forgave, given what she has written about. And perhaps it is the measure of a very good writer that her memories helped me tap into some of my own.
Liz Murray’s early childhood was chaotic, inconsistent, often frightening and usually confusing. Both her parents were drug addicted and the life they lived reflected this – it was a heartbreaking mess. There was literally nothing in this early part of the book that suggested to me that she would be able to survive unscathed, let alone that she would thrive. Her parents loved her, but this in no way seemed like it could be enough.
I worked for many years with people who were homeless and Liz’s depictions of the fear, despair, desperation and utter exhaustion of this experience rang true (from my second hand experience). Couch surfing, thinking about where to stay next, sleeping rough when none of those options were available; all those stories read as authentic to me. How she managed to end up at Harvard after this truly is inspiring. For Liz it was about learning “that there is a distinct difference between saying something and doing something and doing something, just as there is a distinct difference between setting a goal and actually living the reality of that goal”. This resonated for me.
You would expect sorrow on reading this book, but it’s important to know that there is also joy and redemption, and quite extraordinary forgiveness. I will be passing this book around to my friends because as well as it being inspiring in terms of overcoming adversity, it is also a gentle reminder of how important it is to show loving kindness to the kids in our lives who we know do it tough. ‘Breaking Night’ was that reminder for me.
