Emi Nietfeld

Wow, this book is crazy. Just when I thought the situation could not possibly get worse it keeps going. Really well written memoir about the scars of mental illness. Box that in with pressure to succeed fully captures the essence of adolescence and early adulthood that is made more difficult without traditional support systems. I was intrigued, but not surprised, at how our welfare in this country leaves so many people behind.

In her memoir, Acceptance, Emi Nietfeld chronicles her incredibly difficult childhood and how she managed to overcome terrible circumstances to attend Harvard, work for Google, and become a writer. This book is not for the weak of heart as Nietfeld recounts a litany of abuse and neglect from her parents, strangers, the system, and many people who were supposed to help her. The writing felt clunky at first but levels out to make a tragic tale readable by keeping the tone detail-oriented show more instead of overly emotional, and left me rooting for her success. show less