Stretched

9.5 out of 10 Rating by the BookLife Prize: "Michelle writes with fearless candor, incorporating an attention-getting opening into excellent pacing that never lets up."

"[Stretched] doesn't tidy up trauma. It shows how a person can hold it, stretch with it, and still feel free. For anyone who's had to be the strong one, it feels like a hand on the shoulder, and a reminder that the story isn't over until you say it is. I'm glad she dared to tell it."

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Michelle must face the harsh reality of her childhood in order to overcome the pain that has long held her captive. From the time she was five years old, when she witnessed the near-death experience of her sister, her world was shaped by trauma. Her mother struggled with mental illness, she was abandoned by those she loved, and she was scarred by sexual assault, carrying the wounds of her past into every relationship she formed as an adult.

Stretched follows Michelle's true story through the long aftermath of trauma, and how early abandonment and violence seep into identity, self-worth, and the choices she made. Similar to The Glass Castle and Educated, her memoir depicts how hope can thrive in the face of incredible hardship, how pain can be transformed into resilience, and how forgiveness can free oneself of the burdens that lie within.