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2 out of 4 stars
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From the day of her birth, Gloria Walker-Powell had a tough childhood. Her mother was abusive to her and her brother all the time, with Gloria getting most of the abuse. Hanging out in questionable parts of town with shady individuals was her lifestyle, as she says that it is better to be here than at home. These decisions were the start of a downward spiral in her life, including her future relationships, children, and living situations. How Did I Get Here: A Journey of Purpose is the first of two memoirs of Gloria’s life that explains how she found the solution to the pain that she had been suffering from and how she could forgive those that wronged her.
The one aspect of the book that I enjoyed the most was the author’s honesty. She does not stray away from heavy details, including an altercation with one of her boyfriends that gave her a life-threatening injury. Gloria was also honest about how she made the wrong decisions and how they impacted her life. Readers that are uncomfortable with these scenarios should read with caution.
My favorite person in this memoir was Dee. No matter what situation Gloria found herself in, she knew that she could rely on Dee to help her. I enjoyed learning about Dee and appreciated the inclusion of this friend. With this character, I was able to learn an important lesson that I will not forget. Readers will have to read what Mrs. Walker-Powell says about Dee to figure it out.
Sadly, there were many shortcomings of this title that negatively affected the book’s potential. There were many grammatical errors throughout the book, leading me to believe that professional editing did not occur. Another element that I disliked was that there was a lack of Bible verses in this memoir. The synopsis had me thinking that I would be reading many of them, but there were fewer than a dozen in the text. Some of the chapters had them sprinkled in, while others had none. I would have liked to see more Bible verses applied to the author’s situations and how she learned from them.
Because of the reasons listed above, I cannot rate How Did I Get Here more than 2 out of 4 stars. Despite the honest depictions, there are no vile sexual scenes or profanities in this book. I recommend this book to adults that have been through a difficult childhood and are looking for hope and peace. Jesus and church outings are described in some parts of the memoir, so readers offended by this type of content should not read it.
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How Did I Get Here
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