A Piece of Cake: A Memoir - Cupcake Brown

Advantages: Superbly original story, inspirational
Disadvantages: Halfway through the book you may lose sympathy with her

Being a complete book addict, I often, on the rare occasions that I wander into a bookstore (they're far too dangerous, I can easily walk out with half a dozen books) struggle to find a new release which I haven't already read, or have sitting on my shelf waiting for me to pick up. I came across Cupcake Brown's memoir, A Piece of Cake, while desperately looking for something a little different than the usual trashy novels that tend to fill the book ...
...Californian law states that if a parent dies then the other biological parent gets custody if they want the children, the judge must uphold Mr Burns' request, and Cupcake's Daddy and uncle (Jr) lose custody of the children. Unfortunately, Mr Burns, aka the Sperm Donor, really only wants custody of the children so he can claim their insurance money that their mother has left in trust for them in the event of her death. As he's unable to access it, ... Read review

Advantages: You'll want to read on and on....
Disadvantages: ...

Cupcake Brown is a woman who knows what its like to go through hell and back! Her book begins in January of 1976 when she finds her mother dead after an epileptic fit and from that day her life spirals out of control. Her biological mother split from her step father who went to live with her Uncle Jr and her brother Larry, who we later find out she looses touch with. Once her biological father finds out that "Cup's" mother is dead he turns up with ...
...them off to live with a foster mother, Dianne and never sees them again, only when they both turn 18 and inherit a trust fund does he want anything to do with them. Throughout Cup living with Dianne and her daughter Connie, Cup turns to drugs (every drug under the sun!), drink and "turns tricks" for extra money. She gets pregnant, in all, 4 times and has them all aborted. One pregnancy she looses the baby by being kicked in the stomach by Dianne ... Read review

Advantages: A damn good read and very inspirational
Disadvantages: Cant put it down!

What a read! I feel like I was actually there with Cupcake through all her traumas. As you might of read before this is a book on Cupcake Brown's survival of drink, drugs and self destruction. She finds her mother dead at 11 and while she thinks she's going to live with her dad, her biological sperm donor turns up and wants to claim money off of her! That's where the tragedy starts. She's shipped off to a foster home, even though the courts awarded ...
...for her. She was a young child and such things should not be happening to her. She is still in contact with her 'family' but there is only so much they can do. It is down to the American legal system and it makes you see how much of a sham it is! Half way through the book and you think that she would start to turn her life around but she is so deep into drugs and drinking that it is impossible. The traumatising and embarrassing episodes she has, ... Read review

Advantages: very hard to put down
Disadvantages: very sad and upsetting at times

...it is the story of a young girl, who's parents more a less dont care and she ends up in a world of living on the streets, as a prostitute and a very lonely drug addict. The one thing that got me about this book, it is such common place in England now it is horrible to think that this girl could be anyone you know a relative or a friend. I mean I know lots of people in their late teens who have had awful upbringings and things that have happened ...
...and sorts herself out with a job, and turning away from prostituition and drugs for good. I highly recommend that anyone should read this book, even though it might not be your normal read, you should definetly give it a go. Just think that story could be told by thousands of young adults in this country, and it might make potential parents not to make mistakes in their own childs life. I don't really want to say much about this book, because to ... Read review

Advantages: amazing, inspirational read
Disadvantages: plays on the heart strings

Firstly Id like to say a huge Thank you to Cupcake Brown for giving me back hope and helping me succeed in life. This is about a girl called Cupcake aged 11, Cupcake lives with her Mom in San Diego, while her brother Larry lives with her Dad. She and Larry don't get on at all, they fight continuously, one day Larry hit his mother, so she sends him to live with his father. Cupcake gets up one morning to the sound of her mother's alarm clock blaring, ...
...Californian law states that if a parent dies then the other biological parent gets custody if they want the children, the judge must uphold Mr Burns' request, and Cupcake's Daddy and uncle (Jr) lose custody of the children. Unfortunately, Mr Burns,only wants custody of the children so he can claim their insurance money that their mother has left in trust for them in the event of her death. As he's unable to access it, he leaves the children with ... Read review

Advantages: A little shocking in parts, admirable for her bravery
Disadvantages: Dissapointing ending, not very well written.

...I have always enjoyed memoirs, its a genre i continually revisit, and tales of hardship always compel me. I particularly enjoy drug/rehab memoirs, such as 'A million little pieces' by James Frey, and 'A piece of cake' by Cupcake Brown. I also love emotional rollercoasters, i love Jodi Picoult, and i've also read several similar stories of Child Abuse. I decided this book would be perfect. I bought the book in Woolworths in my lunch break, and was intrigued by the cover. I started reading it as soon as i got home, but dispite being a page turner, it was dissapointing. The book was strangely compelling, i had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next, but it never excited me. The novel is written in a really matter-of-fact way. Despite the fact the acts were horrifying, i didn't feel the protagonist's pain, i couldn... Read review

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