There are very few books that have ever truly moved me. A Piece of Cake written by Cupcake Brown inspired me to never lose sight of my dreams. The story begins with Cupcake experiencing something no one should ever have to go through- holding her mother's lifeless body in her arms. The death of her mother turns Cupcake's life into a downward spiral of destruction. Her mistrust in the "system" is justified as she is torn from the only family she has known ;her uncle Jr. and her "Pops". Her biological father or "sperm donor" as she calls him decides to claim his children because of benefits he thought he would be collecting. He quickly learns that this is not the case and throws Cupcake and her brother Larry into a foster home. Cupcake describes the horrors she faced at the foster home being raped, repeatedly beaten and made to clean the house to the foster mother's standards. Cupcake gets involved in drugs, "business arrangements" and gang activity all before the age of 16. There is a light at the end of the tunnel in this story. At the age of 25 after selling everything she has just to get high and leaving an abusive marriage Cupcake goes to her employer Ken and asks for help. During recovery Cupcake recaptures the dreams she once had as a little girl to be a lawyer. She goes back to school and with dedication and lots of hard work and help from her real "family" Cupcake cries as she discovers that she has passed the bar exam and her dreams of becoming a lawyer come true. A truly inspiring book that will have you rooting for Cupcake success!! This book sends a strong message that anything is possible!! ( )

A Piece of Cake was very, very well written. It is a book that really contains a character experiencing a "slippery slope." The scary part is that it is a true story, but the happy part is that in the ending Mrs. Brown makes it out. When the reader thinks that things could not possibly get worse, they do. Mrs. Brown experiences drugs and bad relationships. She battles addiction multiple times and it is a very intense story. It is definitely not a quick read. It is emotionally draining and if you are looking for a by the pool book, this is definitely not the right choice. The book is very, very well written and the story itself is touching. Cupcake Brown really proves that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. I would definitely recommend reading this book, just get ready for a tear jerker. ( )

This memoir is disturbing, but irresistible. Cupcake Brown takes her readers into her world of substance abuse, LA gang life and painful family situations with an incredible honesty that makes this book hard to put down. She is a great example to many. ( )

If you like a disturbing book this is the book for you! ( )

Cupcake Brown (that's her real name) was 11 in 1976 when her mother died. Custody of Brown and her brother was given to a stranger—their birth father—who only wanted their social security checks. He then left them with an abusive foster mother who encouraged her nephew to rape Brown repeatedly. Brown got better and better at running away. A prostitute taught her to drink, smoke marijuana and charge for sex. Her next foster father traded her LSD and cocaine for oral sex. Eventually she went to live with a great-aunt in South Central L.A., where she joined a gang. Almost 16, having barely survived a shooting, she decided to quit gangbanging. Drugs were her new best friends. A boyfriend taught her to freebase, but then there was crack, which was easier. Before long she was a "trash-can junkie," taking anything and everything. It wasn't until she woke up behind a Dumpster one morning, half-dressed and more than half-dead, that she admitted she needed help. Brown conveys this all in gritty detail, and her struggle to come clean and develop her potential—she's now an attorney with a leading California firm and a motivational speaker—ends her story on a high note. This is from publishers weekly ( )