Genre: Memoir
Description:
“Words are puzzles. Words are lies. Words are power. Words are hope.
Hieroglyphs is a
dark and unique coming-of-age story.
Shana Hammaker was the second of three girls born to young and
ill-equipped parents. She and her sisters grew up under some of the most
harrowing conditions you’re likely to encounter in print.
Shana spent her formative years dueling against a drug-addicted
mother, an uncaring father, and a cruel stepmother. She lost her virginity to a
trusted family friend before she could ride a bike. And she was ultimately
abandoned by her family and the child welfare system. At seventeen, Shana’s
childhood ended on the street.
Through it all, Shana found strength and comfort in words. Words are
everything. Words can uplift and they can condemn. Words can name you and give
you strength. Words are puzzles. Words are power. Words are lies. Sometimes
words create. Other times they destroy.
Words can turn a rape victim into a whore.
But words are also HOPE.”
Author:
Shana Hammaker is the author of the Twelve Terrifying Tales for 2011 series, where a different short
thriller was released each month, and another memoir, The Cookie Dumpster. Follow Shana on Twitter or check out her
Amazon Author page.
Appraisal:
Last year when I read and reviewed The
Cookie Dumpster, Hammaker’s memoir about her time living on the streets of
Santa Cruz, California, I praised the book for its authentic, unvarnished look
at the plight of the homeless. But I also begged for more. The Cookie Dumpster covered a very specific and relatively short
period of Hammaker’s life, but I thought there was more to tell and suggested
her story cried out for a prequel, telling us what brought her life to the
point where living on the street was her only, or at least best, option. The Cookie Dumpster ended at a logical
point in Hammaker’s life, a turning point where her life was changing, but it
felt like there was a possible sequel there as well.
Hieroglyphs is both
prequel and sequel, starting with Hammaker’s childhood, deftly covering the
time chronicled in The Cookie Dumpster
without feeling like anything is being skipped for those who haven’t read
Hammaker’s first memoir, and without feeling like covering old ground, for
those who have. It then finishes with the next chapter of her life, ending at
another logical stopping point. I got what I’d wished for.
There are many lessons or insights to be gained from the author’s
life, starting with how much the luck of the draw influences the life you lead
and ending with the realization that what politicians describe as “the safety
net,” while imperfect and flawed, is much better than the alternative. Running
through the story is a constant refrain of the power of words, for both good
and bad, which gives insight into why Hammaker gravitated towards the writer’s
life.
FYI:
Some adult content.
Added for
Reprise Review: Hieroglyphs by Shana Hammaker was a
nominee in the Memoir category for B&P 2013 Readers' Choice Awards.
Original review ran January 3, 2013.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No significant issues.
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate
word count: 15-20,000 words
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