Essay Questions

Why does Liz still love her mother?

Despite all of the bad things that her mother has done to her, Liz still loves her. Deprived of basic needs at times, and having to watch both of her parents get high on drugs, it would only seem reasonable that Liz would despise her parent. However, the instinctual parent-child connection prevails in this case. Ma wanted to give Liz as much as she could, despite being burdened with a horrible addiction. Liz knows that it would have been nearly impossible for Ma to overcome the addiction, but she still loves her for trying to take good care of her children.

How did Liz become so successful?

It seems like somewhat of a miracle that Liz was able to get out of the situation she was in, become a successful teacher and writer, and not be burdened by drugs. However, she succeeded with a strong sense of perseverance. Seeing what was going on, and knowing that it was wrong, Liz was able to overcome her parents' struggles and build a better life for herself. This is often a hard thing to do, but mental capability is a primary driver in the success of an individual.

Why did Liz write this memoir?

Liz grew up in a hard situation, and wanted to let people like her know that it is possible to overcome hard times. Often, when you are surrounded by drugs and crimes, it is easy to lose hope. Liz, knowing this, wrote her life story to be an inspiration to people like her. As more and more people around the world become addicted to drugs, the type of thing that Liz experienced is becoming normalized. Liz wanted a version of events that was set in stone words, so that the world will know that there is always hope.