Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard

I wrote about Liz Murray when I first heard her interviewed on NPR, and I really wanted to read her memoir. It did not disappoint! I spent a lovely rainy weekend up at a cabin, and sat around reading Liz’s survival story all day, taking in all that she went through and how she overcame such incredible odds to “make it” in the world. Her writing was accessible and beautiful and gritty. Some of it was hard to read — I felt very protective of her and I found I just wanted to make everything OK. Sometimes I felt frustrated with her, and wanted her to make better decisions, the whole time realizing that no one ever taught her to make better decisions. It also reinforced my belief in education — if you can reach kids in a way they show more can understand (the school Murray attended had some non-traditional methods, along with some phenomenal teachers), they can find out what they are passionate about and have a better chance at succeeding in life. Breaking Night also is a lesson in starting over — it is never too late.

The memoir ended sort of abruptly with her acceptance to Harvard. I wonder if she’s considering writing another memoir on her life after Breaking Night ends. I’d love to read how she handled college and beyond.

OH! And toward the end she quoted one of her teachers: “Let’s eat, grandpa! Lets eat grandpa! Punctuation saves lives.” It had me smiling till the end of the book.

I have a close friend who grew up in a similar situation — a drug-addicted yet loving mother who eventually died due to complications of her drug use and pnemonia. I’ve seen first-hand how this as affected my friend, and, thankfully, how she has also managed to rise above her situation and graduate from college. She now works with children with autism. For every story that is published, there must be a thousand that aren’t.

Read my full review here: http://letseatgrandpa.com/2010/11/12/72-breaking-night-by-liz-murray/ show less

Liz Murray is a strong and vivacious woman, who from the first moments of her memoir has her audience firmly entranced. Not only is the story itself compelling, but the writing is superb. This approximately 300 page book felt more like 100, I was constantly turning the page. And this is saying something as I am usually bored with memoirs. But from the very beginning, I felt like I was a part of Liz's family, right in the middle of the action. It also avoids pitying itself with a wry cynicism which allows the reader to take the ride with her and acknowledge the depths of her despair without wallowing in them. All in all, I highly recommend the book for anyone who enjoys an uplifting memoir in outstanding prose.

A rich and wonderful memoir. Liz Murray does not pass harsh judgment about her childhood—it was what it was. She describes in great detail her relationships and choices as she navigates life without the normal parental guidance. Her ability to simply tell her story without much editorializing is gripping, sad, funny, and a true testament to the human spirit. Just as in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, l was left wondering, how is it that some people refuse to see themselves as victims and rise above their circumstances? Beautifully told. If you liked this, also read Nic Sheff’s Tweak and his father’s book, Beautiful Boy (David Sheff).

Wow, this might just be the best memoir I’ve ever read. Yes, the story is compelling and Liz Murray keeps you turning pages as she unfolds the incredible details of her trials and tribulations growing up in the Bronx, the daughter of drug addicts, with very little hope in life. But more than that, she is a fighter who picked up the very scattered pieces at age 16 and turned her life around. I found Murray’s writing style to be engaging and thoughtful while baring some hard-to-read parts of her soul. The conversation at the end of the book was interesting as well. My only wish would have been for some pictures of Liz’s family (they honestly probably didn’t have any) and friends. Otherwise, 5 very polished stars. Well done, Liz show more Murray!! show less

This memoir is truly amazing, especially as it pertains to showing the obstacles its author overcame; she has amazing resilience and she’s incredibly inspiring. This paperback edition includes discussion questions and an interview with the author, and they make this a good edition to read, especially if the book will be discussed with other readers. I’d love to see this assigned at alternative high schools similar to the one Liz graduated from, and to all high school students.

This book is beautifully written, riveting, and very hard to put down. My intention was to read it concurrently with Harry Potter 6 (part of my Harry Potter 1-7 reread) but once I started reading, I had no desire to read any other books until I’d finished, show more not even Harry Potter books.

It reminded me quite a bit of another favorite memoir about a (in some ways) horrific childhood: Blackbird: The Story of a Childhood Lost and Found by Jennifer Lauck.

I won this book from Goodreads’ First Reads giveaway program, but it’s one of the few giveaway books I’ve ended up assigning 5 stars; I’ve expected to love all books I’ve tried to win, and I’ve liked or really liked most, but have given out fewer 5 star ratings than I would have expected to give.

I had seen the television movie Homeless to Harvard that was based on this author’s story, and loved it, and I love the book even more than the movie.

I highly recommend this book to all teens and adults, especially at risk teens and adults who could benefit from taking another look and maybe viewing differently street kids, drug addicts, people living in poverty, homeless people, and those they might see as “others.”

I aspire to be more like Murray and how she let people in and how she took charge of her life, succeeding despite the challenges she faced. I love her down to earth attitude and admire her ability to forgive and move on. show less

Breaking Night is the memoir of a young woman, Liz Murray, who was born into horrific conditions of two drug addicted parents, but graduates from high school, wins a New York Times scholarship, and attends Harvard University. A 2003 made-for-television movie entitled Homeless to Harvard came from the same story. The book is better because it develops the characters with more depth and compassion than the movie.
I selected this early reviewer book hoping to find some insight into why the author became the accomplished person she is, while so many others never make it. I wasn’t disappointed. If you are considering reading it for the same reason, leave any value judgments of her parents behind and try to see them from the same show more perspective that she does. It is this perspective that makes the book so compelling.
In a quickly moving story, Murray writes as an adult who is looking back on her childhood. She develops her story as a young girl who is at once wise beyond her years and innocent in her youth. “Drugs were like a wrecking ball tearing through our family and … I couldn’t help but feel that Ma and Daddy were the ones that needed protecting. I felt like it was my job to keep them safe.” (p. 51).
Liz Murray forces me to look at my own values, which is one of the best things any book can do. I’d recommend it as required reading for high school freshmen everywhere, book clubs who want a real discussion about realistic themes, and any reader who wants a lot to consider after putting the book down. show less

Reminiscent of Jeanette Wall’s The Glass Castle, Breaking Night by Liz Murray is the memoir of a young girl who overcomes extreme poverty and homelessness to make a success out of her life. Unlike Wall’s parents, whose eccentric beliefs determine their life style and that of their children, Murray’s parents are hard core drug addicts whose situation is unhappy but seems beyond their power to change. Her parents love her, but in the end, they love their drugs more. In one poignant episode, her mother cries and begs forgiveness as she flushes away the cocaine she bought with Liz’s stolen birthday money. But in most instances, the coke comes before food for the hungry children, who often go days without eating. At one point Liz’s show more mother even tries to trade her sister’s winter coat for a bag of coke.

I preferred reading the latter part of the book, in which Murray turns her life around by acts of sheer will. Spending nights sleeping on subways, hallways of apartment buildings, or on the floors of friends’ apartments, she forces herself to go back to high school. She has an epiphany in an AIDS/HIV prevention class when she hears her teacher say, “You get to say what happens to you.” Another comes in a market when instead of stealing her groceries, as is her habit, it suddenly occurs to her that her actions impact the lives of others and that she is part of a wider community. Breaking Night is a heartbreaking, but inspiring memoir and well worth the read. show less