Somebody's Daughter | Review

Ashley C. Ford's 2021 memoir

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Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford
224 pages | Published by Flatiron Books

The Set Up: “Somebody’s Daughter steps into the world of growing up a poor Black girl, exploring how isolating and complex such a childhood can be. Ashley describes her battles with her body and her environment, provides a poignant coming-of-age recollection that speaks to finding the threads between who you are and what you were born into, and the complicated familial love that often binds them.”

This was a beautifully written memoir, and an excellent author-read audiobook. This book has been on my shelves for a few years now, and I’m glad to have finally reached for it.

“Kids can always tell the difference between adults who want to empower them, and adults who want to overpower them.”

I listened over the course of a few weeks—I needed to be in the right headspace to give her stories the attention they deserved. Many of Ashley’s memories of childhood are heart wrenching.

I did feel like there wasn’t a major through-line to her stories. Ashley is an amazing storyteller, and she writes with so much honesty and nuance, but I finished wishing that that there had been a more clear message at the end to come away with.

I definitely recommend picking this one up if you’re a fan of memoirs. I would love to read more from this author, and I would especially love to see what she would do in the fiction space.