I had all good views on this book, and can relate to different situations in Michelle’s life through out. I enjoyed the book, and actually finished reading it surprising because I’m not a big reader. You know when I finish a book it’ a pleasurable book to read. Books that are enjoyable and entertaining I finish quicker because I don’t stop reading it and this one if those books. Michelle is hard working “single” mom like my mother was in my life. I think Michelle should have and would have been better off leaving Tom earlier. If she found Hogan before Tom this book would have never been created. Tom is a carless, worthless, asshole of a father. Tom reminds me of how I thought of my dad till the age of 14. When I was younger my dad was a binge drinking drunk, that didn’t care bout anything but sports and going out to the bar. The only good thing he did was work for the family, kind of like Tom till he quit. Like Michelle my mom had to take care of me, my older brother John, my twin sister Kayla, and my little brother Stephen. I like this book because through out this book it reminds me of so many personal life events I can relate too. These life events where not pleasing but they where important. At the age of 11 we moved to Hillsdale New Jersey and my dad had gone to jail. (Had not been the first time) My mom has had enough and filed for a divorce. Like when Michelle had enough of Tom’s disrespect and carelessness at the cabin and left him and had found a new job. When they got divorced I saw my dad occasionally when he wasn’t behind bars. My mom had to find a job to keep the house and support us, again like Michelle just trying to support her family through out the book. One factor that contributed to difficulties in both Michelle’s and my mom’s life was the fact that they both found the wrong person to spend the rest of their life with. Another factor (great attribute/factor to have) was they both care and loved their family so much so they were willing to sacrifice so much for her kids. That can also be a factor that helped overcome all the obstacles she went through. Her kids are the elements that drove her to keep fighting and working hard. Hogan also was a positive factor that boosted her happiness when he saw her. Michelle’s parents enabled her to over come things too, by letting them have a place to stay and giving Michelle $2,000 before they moved to the cabin. You consider Michelle and her kids homeless at different points in the book for a class. The fact that she was a single mom could be affected because she’s a woman. I think a single parent father could do more high paying manual labor to support a family. Race was not a factor in this book. One major challenge Michaelle faced that was not as important to others as it was to me was when she had to drive to Vermont for the move to the Cabin. Imagine driving by your self to live somewhere shitty and have no other options. That alone sucks but she had to do it with little money, kids and by herself with a car that eventually had broken headlights. That is such a stressful life event that most people don’t go through. Such sad, tragic, heartbreaking moments like that are the worst and most meaningfully after you get through them. Again like Michelle
