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When I Last Saw Me: The Memoir of Sammi Bass
"Family in Lubbock?" the clerk asked, "Are you by yourself ... really?"
"Runaway. I'm a runaway," I said.
She searched me with her gum-chewing look.
I said it again, "I ran away from home. I didn't plan it. I don't have a destination right now."
She shifted her weight and drew her hand onto her hip as her head took an affirming angle. "I have always wanted to do that," she nodded her chin in my direction.
I felt like a hero ...
... so here I was. The six-year-old, the five-year-old, the nine-year-old Sammi trying to reconcile with the 51-year-old Sammi. A package of people I love, fear, know, and do not know--riding down the highway together with cars passing us as if all was copacetic. We all just kept our eyes facing forward like nothing was off color.
____________________________________________________________________________
Everyone thinks about running away from home sometime. Most people don't venture that when they are 51. Sammi did. When the world got too small and being part of it got too unbearable she ran. Mostly west. On the way she bumped into her past and found some reconcile with her present. Filled with memories common to us all, too familiar demons, the longing, the searching, the betrayal and brokenness--the beauty of it all. Far from unusual, the instinct to flee what we no longer know how to cope with is common to us all. Between the pages of WHEN I LAST SAW ME perhaps you will collide with where you last saw you too.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Written in a unique, quirky literary style, this memoir is from a woman with a most unusual biography, but with a past that will strike a familiar chord in many. In person Lisa is funny. A sit down comedian. Odd. Endearing. Original. Author Lisa is reflective. Curious. A noticer of things most overlook. A seer of things others never place in the light of a proper view. This is the story of her runaway adventure, bringing her to terms with things long pushed back. It is an awakening to purpose pressed by pain. Understanding wrapped in mystery.
A journey is sometimes hard. Sometimes not. Mile markers keep time and allow the grace of a reflect. Like breadcrumbs, they led her to a place she did not expect ... a place so worth visiting that her outlook changed forever.
"Runaway. I'm a runaway," I said.
She searched me with her gum-chewing look.
I said it again, "I ran away from home. I didn't plan it. I don't have a destination right now."
She shifted her weight and drew her hand onto her hip as her head took an affirming angle. "I have always wanted to do that," she nodded her chin in my direction.
I felt like a hero ...
... so here I was. The six-year-old, the five-year-old, the nine-year-old Sammi trying to reconcile with the 51-year-old Sammi. A package of people I love, fear, know, and do not know--riding down the highway together with cars passing us as if all was copacetic. We all just kept our eyes facing forward like nothing was off color.
____________________________________________________________________________
Everyone thinks about running away from home sometime. Most people don't venture that when they are 51. Sammi did. When the world got too small and being part of it got too unbearable she ran. Mostly west. On the way she bumped into her past and found some reconcile with her present. Filled with memories common to us all, too familiar demons, the longing, the searching, the betrayal and brokenness--the beauty of it all. Far from unusual, the instinct to flee what we no longer know how to cope with is common to us all. Between the pages of WHEN I LAST SAW ME perhaps you will collide with where you last saw you too.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Written in a unique, quirky literary style, this memoir is from a woman with a most unusual biography, but with a past that will strike a familiar chord in many. In person Lisa is funny. A sit down comedian. Odd. Endearing. Original. Author Lisa is reflective. Curious. A noticer of things most overlook. A seer of things others never place in the light of a proper view. This is the story of her runaway adventure, bringing her to terms with things long pushed back. It is an awakening to purpose pressed by pain. Understanding wrapped in mystery.
A journey is sometimes hard. Sometimes not. Mile markers keep time and allow the grace of a reflect. Like breadcrumbs, they led her to a place she did not expect ... a place so worth visiting that her outlook changed forever.
326 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 26, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 28, 2026
I almost didn't finish reading this but I'm so glad that I did. My reason for almost not finishing was that the content is heartbreaking to read (can you imagine living it?). It is well written and there is no whining. It is raw and genuine and honest. And beautiful. It all comes to a glorious conclusion. The author has a unique perspective on the way she sees life and the way she writes. Even the way she uses words. And she has her own way of viewing and loving God and discovering that God loves her.
Well worth reading. I listened to the audio version that the author reads which I recommend.
PS. Wouldn't you like to have a Tank in your life?
Well worth reading. I listened to the audio version that the author reads which I recommend.
PS. Wouldn't you like to have a Tank in your life?
March 16, 2026
I listened to this book. At first I didn't think I would finish it, but hung in there and ended up loving it! She has a very unique voice and style. She uses verbs and adjectives as nouns and it kept me on my toes, but also added so much to the story. I love her finding of "the Triplets". Wow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2025
LOVED this book!!! I listened to it in the authors voice and you could hear the pain, the honesty and the rawness of her story. Her memoir is peppered with the ability to make light of tragic circumstances mainly because sometimes that’s the only way to cope. I went through ALL the emotions as she traveled through her childhood because her story is all too familiar to mine. Beautifully written and a story to ponder!
March 9, 2018
Uniquely written. The voice follows the author's train of thought, but it often follows an unconventional path. Transparent and authentic. The complexity of an abusive relationship that should have been unconditional love. The author broaches sensitive scenarios without unnecessary details that could be triggering / traumatizing to the sensitive reader. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Bravo!
September 17, 2024
Great yet hard journey
I didn’t like this book at first. A depressing sense permeated the pages and many times, hard to follow but yet as I continued on, I found it easier and easier to understand and maybe even identify myself in her thoughts and her search. Perhaps that is why I resisted—life/truth can be hard. I am glad I stayed with it and followed her journey.
I didn’t like this book at first. A depressing sense permeated the pages and many times, hard to follow but yet as I continued on, I found it easier and easier to understand and maybe even identify myself in her thoughts and her search. Perhaps that is why I resisted—life/truth can be hard. I am glad I stayed with it and followed her journey.
March 17, 2019
To know Lisa is to both love her and be fascinated by her. So when I learned she had written a book, giving the world an opportunity to get to know the “why” behind the “who”, I jumped at the chance to read it. I never knew until now the depth of her overcome - My heart both breaks at the unspeakable pain she had to endure to become who she is today; and rejoices that she is one of the few who has found the courage to live 100% raw and real and in that, speak so fluently and powerfully and wisely to those around her.
As promised, I found myself in the pages of When I Last Saw Me, many times in the most unexpected and unnerving places, and once again I have her to thank for getting to the core of me with who she is, Who she loves, and who I aspire to be. Her quirky narrative style only adds to the memoir’s originality, and if you’re not careful, you just might come away with a whole new way to both see and speak of the world and Who made it ;)
I loved it. Truly loved it. A must-read for anyone who struggles with a past, or even a present, that they don’t know how to reconcile with peace, love, grace, and mercy, When I Last Saw Me is a powerful work that testifies to forgiveness and redemption and the ongoing successful journey to wholeness on a whole new level. Thank you for your brave, Asil. The world is better for it, and for you.
As promised, I found myself in the pages of When I Last Saw Me, many times in the most unexpected and unnerving places, and once again I have her to thank for getting to the core of me with who she is, Who she loves, and who I aspire to be. Her quirky narrative style only adds to the memoir’s originality, and if you’re not careful, you just might come away with a whole new way to both see and speak of the world and Who made it ;)
I loved it. Truly loved it. A must-read for anyone who struggles with a past, or even a present, that they don’t know how to reconcile with peace, love, grace, and mercy, When I Last Saw Me is a powerful work that testifies to forgiveness and redemption and the ongoing successful journey to wholeness on a whole new level. Thank you for your brave, Asil. The world is better for it, and for you.
February 3, 2021
Who hasn't thought about running away from home when they turned 50? This author has a unique writing style that pulls you into details that would otherwise be minutia, but through her pen come to life vibrantly. Her story provoked me to look more deeply into my story. It called out to me with permission to face things and fight, face things and relinquish, face things and surrender.
I love memoirs, and this one was exceptional!
I love memoirs, and this one was exceptional!
February 9, 2018
Loved this book!!
A very honest story, sad, funny, heartbreaking, authentic, captivating, intriguing. Loved this book - how God can redeem broken pieces and restore hearts. Even if your story is very different, Lisa is so relatable and says what you’re thinking. Somehow she can put it into words in an unexpected way. A must read!
A very honest story, sad, funny, heartbreaking, authentic, captivating, intriguing. Loved this book - how God can redeem broken pieces and restore hearts. Even if your story is very different, Lisa is so relatable and says what you’re thinking. Somehow she can put it into words in an unexpected way. A must read!
February 5, 2018
Heartfelt beautiful journey
Heartfelt beautiful journey with an author who bares her broken soul. The book exudes a message of redemption and resonates the resilience of our human spirit. Beautifully written!
Heartfelt beautiful journey with an author who bares her broken soul. The book exudes a message of redemption and resonates the resilience of our human spirit. Beautifully written!
November 22, 2024
Incredibly real, vulnerable, and powerful. She recalls her abusive and unpredictable past as she runs away from (or maybe towards) home as a 51 year old. She tells of an encounter with the living God void of tired religious language but seen through the new eyes of child-like faith.
September 8, 2026
I really wanted to love this
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews