Behind Closed Doors: A Daughter's Story

For anyone facing any kind of problem, this book is for you! It is an amazing story! It took a lot of courage!

This is a memoir written by the daughter of a teenage girl, Josie, who became pregnant, was kicked out by her father, forced into marrying the father of her child, and her struggle to provide for Daniella without education or money. The story is told in two parts. One by an aunt or friend of her mother, wasn't clear unless I missed something, and then the second part is told by Daniella. Josie does not have it easy for many years. Forced into hiding when her husband, whom she divorced while he was in prison, gets out and searches for her. He beats her nearly to her death when he finally finds her. Josie's life takes an unexpected turn when she meets a girl named Gina. She and Gina spent many years together and tried to raise Daniella the best they could with little income. Sadly, they dropped Daniella off with a couple who seemed to be foster parents. Josie was in and out of Daniella's life a number of times when she would take Daniella back and then later drop her off with someone different. Daniella had a number of loving foster parents who loved and nurtured her. It wasn't until Daniella was a grown adult that she found out the truth about her mother's life and life choices. I finished this in just a few hours. It's a quick read. While the writing is somewhat childish, I rather thought it added to Daniella's story since she was just a small child going through so much.

This is an quick read. She faced so many challenges and rose above her raising! Inspiring to the end, family is nothing to take for granted.

It’s quite a story and a triumph for the writer. Kudos for the bravery it took to share. The writing is very elementary and each sentence is equal in length, giving the book a staccato cadence. I did read it in one sitting, so I was drawn into the tale. But I was left a bit disappointed. Someone should have helped her with the prose. Left a lot to be desired.

It typically takes me a long time to read a book. However, I read this book in one night. The author really puts you in her story as if you are there with her.

I love a real life story but this felt rushed. I needed more detail. This woman/ girl went through so much this story could have gone off the charts If we just got a little more emotion description and if it was longer. It was a good read and I love that she felt brave enough to tell her story. But I read it in less than 24hrs....

Wow. Daniella is an inspiration. It is hard to believe that someone could go through everything that she has and still triumph over her upbringing. She was abandoned over and over by her mother who got pregnant at sixteen by a juvenile delinquent teenager. She is of mixed heritage but appears that her grandparents were good people even though her mother's parents kicked her mother, Josie, out when she got pregnant. At least Daniella had a personality and spirit where two different families that she was dumped on loved her and wanted to adopt her. I believe with the loving spiritual personality that she has it has helped her to overcome the hell that she went through as a child. There were people in her life, like the two foster families that wanted her to Gina, her mother's friend and the mafia guys, Big Al and cohorts that treated her well and loved her. Her father Nickie was a beast from hell that made her life even worse when she met him as a young adult. If Daniella could triumph over her "raising" no one should have an excuse to blame their childhood on why they ended up becoming bad people. Maybe if her mother's parents wouldn't have disowned her, things would have been better for Josie, Daniella's mother. Maybe it wouldn't have made a difference. Whatever happened Josie made some really bad choices but Daniella has a forgiving heart and was able to at least understand why her mother did the things she did.It was a hard book to put down, and there were parts where I wanted to say, "No Daniella, don't do that, " because I was pretty sure it would end up badly and I was right. It was sad though because someone who was trying to do right trusted their father who was a horrible person.I would like to add though that she had some really good influences in her life, with friends that helped and families that were genuinely good caring people. It is nice to know there are families out there that take in kids and want the best for them. I hope that those people read this book and see how much Daniella loved and appreciated them, and how they influenced her to have the self-esteem that helped her to overcome her horrible lineage.

I only read non-fiction and usually books about survival from trauma or illness. This book is the type you do not want to put down. Sad and yet powerful!

Perfecto 💯 deja mucha enseñanza a tratar mejor a nuestros hijos para q no sufran en su niñez

I found this book very interesting It did not go in the direction I thought it would. It kept me reading to the end and finished it in one day. Highly recommend.

Really easy to read great writing from the heart. You can really understand what the daughter is feeling. I would highly recommend this book.

I liked this book for two reasons, the first the way the story was told by two different people (although it can also lead to some confusion and the reader has to refocus on who is narrating the story at that particular point) and the second is the total sincere way the facts are presented. "Don't rely on others to make you happy" was the sentence that summed the whole thing up. Yes, quite a good read. Would not normally be my type of book but it came my way and I decided it deserved to be read.

Written in quick note form this book is quite easy to read, it’s written very basically however the story had me from page one.