"The asshole had take off his leather belt and hit me with so much force that the skin in the places where he struck me was either black and blue or gone altogether. On my legs were the red, black and blue stripes reflecting the help my loving mother gave me with the extension cord."
p. 20

"Even with all the hatred I felt for my mother I felt the need to come to her defense when Papo called her a bitch. That's just the way it is. Honor thy mother no matter how much pain and suffering she inflicts on you."
p. 22

"I was learning to think about myself and myself only. All the problems of the world were unimportant compared to mine. Feeling sorry for myself also became an excuse for accepting failure. Like my mother, I blamed everything and anything. Nobody felt the pain I felt...