Nowhere Girl: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood by Cheryl Diamond

Reviewed by Bre'Anna

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"Life will unfold in its own way, in its own time: we have little say in the adventure. We only have power over what we learn from our story, what we decide to make of it."

Cheryl's life is a non-stop roller-coaster ride that makes you stop and say “is this for real?" She was born into a family of felons fleeing international law, constantly on the run, changing identities and moving between different continents and countries, never being able to stay anywhere long enough to make friends, and living one big giant lie. While on the run, she also competed as a Junior Olympic gymnast, transitioned into high fashion modeling in New York, and wrote her first book, Model: A Memoir, all before the age of 21. Sounds insane right?  Nowhere Girl is an "impossible-to-believe true story of self discovery and triumph."

One of my favorite aspects of this book was the pacing; it truly reads like a suspenseful thriller. The reader never knows when Cheryl's luck will run out and if or when she will get caught. I really enjoyed how detailed the book was and how I felt as if I was part of it. The book is written in chronological order of Cheryl's life, which allows the reader to experience everything in order of life event. This means you're kept in the dark about some of the many family secrets until they are reviled over time. After everything she went through, Cheryl says she doesn’t hate her parents or the life she led: that this was just a lesson to be learned. She is such a courageous woman who overcame her difficult life and never gave up on herself and her family. Her amazing journey as a child fugitive is unlike anything I have read, and her memoir is definitely worth the read.

Rating: 5/5 stars

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