Oprah Winfrey's Recently Resurfaced Childhood Trauma Made This New Memoir Impossible to Put Down

06/02/2021

Talk about a glowing review, and from the Queen of book clubs herself! On Tuesday, June 1, Oprah Winfrey tweeted in enthusiastic support of her imprint’s latest release, Somebody’s Daughter. Penned by podcast host, educator and writer Ashley C. Ford, the already best-selling book is Ford’s long-awaited debut memoir, officially available for purchase today — and after you hear what Oprah has to say about it, we’re pretty sure you’ll be adding the volume to your summer book list too.

“I created #AnOprahBook imprint several years ago to put authentic stories out into the world — which is why I’m excited that we’re releasing [Ashley C. Ford]’s memoir #SomebodysDaughter today,” Winfrey tweeted, attaching an image of her reading the book on a quilt on a grass lawn, smiling next to her beloved Cocker Spaniel, Sadie.

“I saw so much of my own story in this beautifully written book by Ashley, who — like me — also had to overcome a challenging childhood growing up as a poor, Black girl. Her remarkable memoir about finding love, finding freedom, and finding herself will move you,” she continued. “But no matter what you’re reading, it’s finally summer, so grab a blanket, your pup, and a good book — cause there’s nothing like devouring an unforgettable story under the sun.”

Earlier this year, Oprah opened up about her own traumatic childhood memories in new book What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing, written with child psychiatrist and neurologist Bruce D. Perry, MD, PhD. In the book, she opens up about the physical abuse she suffered from her grandparents and how that shaped her growing up.

Somebody’s Daughter chronicles Ford’s complicated upbringing in Indiana, living in poverty with an emotionally unstable mother and incarcerated father. Following Ford’s journey from childhood into adolescence, the reader witnesses as her romantic relationship goes awry. Ford’s then-ex assaults her, and she suffers in silence, opting to keep the truth from her family. But when Ford’s grandmother reveals the truth about her father, Ford is forced to question everything she thought she knew.

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