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Sin Child
"Her raw honesty overlaid with undying optimism comes through on every page, as she leads the reader with authority and a depth of emotion we only see in the most gifted memoir writers. This is a powerful debut book and an important message for our times." - Susan Cushman, author
After years of abuse, Angela Howard has found her voice helping others suffering PTSD from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
Angela Howard was a strong-minded girl who endured a daily struggle to find acceptance and, often, a place to sleep at night. A cotton-top child with a neglectful, angry mother and an absent father, Angela’s innocence faded too fast, and she came to accept loss and abuse as a natural part of her life. Sin Child tells the story of Angela’s harrowing childhood in a small Mississippi town. Marked by organized crime, violence, and physical and emotional abuse, Angela’s formative years form a riveting memoir—a gutsy and gritty story with no silver lining. Showing resiliency and maturity at a young age, she becomes a strong ad respected woman through her resolve to survive and achieve.
Sin Child continues a national discussion about the role of childhood trauma in personal development. Today Angela is a dedicated advocate for those suffering from ACE trauma, working to increase awareness and recognition of the lasting physical and emotional impacts of extreme childhood abuse and neglect.
Fans of Mary Karr’s The Liar’s Club and Cherry , Kim Michele Richardson’s The Unbreakable Child , and Tara Westover’s A Memoir will recognize a kindred voice in Angela Howard’s writing.
After years of abuse, Angela Howard has found her voice helping others suffering PTSD from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
Angela Howard was a strong-minded girl who endured a daily struggle to find acceptance and, often, a place to sleep at night. A cotton-top child with a neglectful, angry mother and an absent father, Angela’s innocence faded too fast, and she came to accept loss and abuse as a natural part of her life. Sin Child tells the story of Angela’s harrowing childhood in a small Mississippi town. Marked by organized crime, violence, and physical and emotional abuse, Angela’s formative years form a riveting memoir—a gutsy and gritty story with no silver lining. Showing resiliency and maturity at a young age, she becomes a strong ad respected woman through her resolve to survive and achieve.
Sin Child continues a national discussion about the role of childhood trauma in personal development. Today Angela is a dedicated advocate for those suffering from ACE trauma, working to increase awareness and recognition of the lasting physical and emotional impacts of extreme childhood abuse and neglect.
Fans of Mary Karr’s The Liar’s Club and Cherry , Kim Michele Richardson’s The Unbreakable Child , and Tara Westover’s A Memoir will recognize a kindred voice in Angela Howard’s writing.
234 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2020
7 people are currently reading
1104 people want to read
About the author
Angela Howard
1 book15 followersAngela Howard is a first time author of a memoir, Sin Child, and the founder of PTSD-ACED Foundation, Inc. Angela is a registered nurse and has worked in the medical field for the past 20 years. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and certifications in Life Care Planning and Medical Case Management.
She is highly impacted by the adverse effects of PTSD secondary to ACEs. She herself has overcome extreme adverse childhood experiences with the highest ACE score of 10. Angela’s health has been adversely affected as she suffers from multiple autoimmune disorders. Angela’s desire is to bring increased awareness of ACEs by educating those in the medical and educational fields.
She is highly impacted by the adverse effects of PTSD secondary to ACEs. She herself has overcome extreme adverse childhood experiences with the highest ACE score of 10. Angela’s health has been adversely affected as she suffers from multiple autoimmune disorders. Angela’s desire is to bring increased awareness of ACEs by educating those in the medical and educational fields.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 15, 2021
Its amazing sometimes how much children and teens are put through growing up in dealing with the messes that others have often made of their own lives. But I think its also helpful when at rare times one can also later make something helpful come out of it, like this memoir that provides hope for others who are also struggling. It shows that no matter how bad your circumstances, there is always a chance to fulfill your dreams and become that which you always knew you could.
I found Angela Howard’s story to be shocking and painfully real, and I applaud her for overcoming all that she had to endure. What a determined woman and mother, to make it out of all that, and get her nursing degree and more. Her girls and everyone must be so very proud of her! I am proud of her and I don’t even know her. If you could use a tough, yet very good, uplifting read right now, check out this book. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Angela Howard, and the publisher.
I found Angela Howard’s story to be shocking and painfully real, and I applaud her for overcoming all that she had to endure. What a determined woman and mother, to make it out of all that, and get her nursing degree and more. Her girls and everyone must be so very proud of her! I am proud of her and I don’t even know her. If you could use a tough, yet very good, uplifting read right now, check out this book. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Angela Howard, and the publisher.
May 8, 2021
Originally published on my book blog, TheBibliophage.com.
Angela Howard is a brave woman. Her memoir, Sin Child, shows that she achieved this character trait because she survived. Oh my, what she survived. And in the process, she clearly developed some serious internal strength. Nobody could beat it out of her, though God knows they tried.
Her father was absent and her mother beyond neglectful. Her childhood is one adverse event (ACE) after another, including beatings and emotional abuse. Adults expected her to behave like an adult even before she was legal to drive. That’s a different and harrowing kind of abuse. While she encountered many warm and caring people, none of them were family members responsible or capable of her care.
You wouldn’t expect a kid like Angela to win beauty pageants. But she did. You might imagine she had a church family to support her. But instead, hers encouraged her to marry way too young. She escapes many things, but never stops getting educated. Somewhere inside she knows that’s the ticket to freedom and self-determination.
If you decide to read this book, all the trigger winnings are necessary. Sexual abuse, emotional abuse, abandonment, drug use, suicidal ideation, toxic religious belief, and even reptiles. It’s not an easy read. Still, Howard made me root for her. How could I desert her like so many others? No matter how many times she gets knocked down, literally and figuratively, Howard picks herself back up. It’s a remarkable story.
My conclusions
Pick this book up when you think life is hard. And then imagine being ten-year-old Angela, abandoned by her mother and left with her elderly great grandmother. Of course, she wasn’t on the street or in foster care. But every single adult told her that either outcome was always an option. Nevertheless, she persisted.
I just admire the hell out of this debut author. On top of everything, she faced her traumatic stories and wrote them down. She’s not famous—not a blogger, reality show star, or influencer. She’s a medical professional—a nurse. And also, the founder of PTSD-ACED Foundation, Inc., which “… strives to bring increased recognition and early diagnosis of PTSD secondary to ACEs …” She’s turned her own story inside out and now aims to make the world a better place. Fantastic!
If you like memoirs from people with buckets of grit and determination, this is the book for you. Please give it a go.
I suggest pairing it with books about ACEs like Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology, and How You Can Heal and The Angel and the Assassin: The Tiny Brain Cell That Changed the Course of Medicine by Donna Jackson Nakazawa. You might also try a fictional book pair, like I happened into with Long Bright River by Liz Moore (review for that coming soon).
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Books Forward, Books Fluent, and the author for a digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for this honest review.
Angela Howard is a brave woman. Her memoir, Sin Child, shows that she achieved this character trait because she survived. Oh my, what she survived. And in the process, she clearly developed some serious internal strength. Nobody could beat it out of her, though God knows they tried.
Her father was absent and her mother beyond neglectful. Her childhood is one adverse event (ACE) after another, including beatings and emotional abuse. Adults expected her to behave like an adult even before she was legal to drive. That’s a different and harrowing kind of abuse. While she encountered many warm and caring people, none of them were family members responsible or capable of her care.
You wouldn’t expect a kid like Angela to win beauty pageants. But she did. You might imagine she had a church family to support her. But instead, hers encouraged her to marry way too young. She escapes many things, but never stops getting educated. Somewhere inside she knows that’s the ticket to freedom and self-determination.
If you decide to read this book, all the trigger winnings are necessary. Sexual abuse, emotional abuse, abandonment, drug use, suicidal ideation, toxic religious belief, and even reptiles. It’s not an easy read. Still, Howard made me root for her. How could I desert her like so many others? No matter how many times she gets knocked down, literally and figuratively, Howard picks herself back up. It’s a remarkable story.
My conclusions
Pick this book up when you think life is hard. And then imagine being ten-year-old Angela, abandoned by her mother and left with her elderly great grandmother. Of course, she wasn’t on the street or in foster care. But every single adult told her that either outcome was always an option. Nevertheless, she persisted.
I just admire the hell out of this debut author. On top of everything, she faced her traumatic stories and wrote them down. She’s not famous—not a blogger, reality show star, or influencer. She’s a medical professional—a nurse. And also, the founder of PTSD-ACED Foundation, Inc., which “… strives to bring increased recognition and early diagnosis of PTSD secondary to ACEs …” She’s turned her own story inside out and now aims to make the world a better place. Fantastic!
If you like memoirs from people with buckets of grit and determination, this is the book for you. Please give it a go.
I suggest pairing it with books about ACEs like Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology, and How You Can Heal and The Angel and the Assassin: The Tiny Brain Cell That Changed the Course of Medicine by Donna Jackson Nakazawa. You might also try a fictional book pair, like I happened into with Long Bright River by Liz Moore (review for that coming soon).
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Books Forward, Books Fluent, and the author for a digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for this honest review.
January 20, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wow. This book has left me speechless. The horrible people in Angela Howard's life were so numerous. The acts of physical, sexual, and verbal abuse, violence, neglect, etc that she overcame to stop the cycle for herself and her children are truly incredible. She is definitely an inspiration. This book is well written abd I highly recommend it.
Wow. This book has left me speechless. The horrible people in Angela Howard's life were so numerous. The acts of physical, sexual, and verbal abuse, violence, neglect, etc that she overcame to stop the cycle for herself and her children are truly incredible. She is definitely an inspiration. This book is well written abd I highly recommend it.
March 23, 2020
Mississippi native Angela Howard was given the pejorative label, “Sin Child,” by her Mennonite grandfather when she was born out of wedlock to his son and her mother. Howard suffered unimaginable abuse and neglect from her mother, her mother’s eleven husbands, and some of her other relatives. This abuse came in the form of physical beatings, threats with a boa constrictor, rape, verbal and emotional abuse, and abandonment.
Sin Child is a tumultuous ride through the drug and alcohol ridden rural towns in the hills of northeast Mississippi, where Howard survived a childhood under too many roofs to describe, making her way through life in the projects, beauty pageants (where she competed with her self-taught ventriloquist talent), numerous schools, and a job selling illegal beer and stolen cigarettes at a convenience store where drug deals happened in the back room. All of this before she turned eighteen.
More abuse at the hands of her Mennonite husband convinced her to go to college and eventually attain a B.S. degree in nursing, after giving birth to premature twin girls without any support from her husband. It was during her work as a nurse that she learned the connection between what she had experienced and PTSD—Post Traumatic Stress Disorder—and received counseling and encouragement to heal herself and help others.
Howard is the founder of PTSD-ACED Foundation, Inc. She is highly impacted by the adverse effects of PTSD secondary to ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences). She herself has the highest ACE score of 10. Howard’s health has been adversely affected as she suffers from multiple autoimmune disorders. Her desire is to bring increased awareness of ACEs by educating those in the medical and educational fields.
Fans of Mary Karr’s The Liar’s Club and Cherry, Kim Michele Richardson’s The Unbreakable Child, and Tara Westover’s Educated: A Memoir will recognize a kindred voice in Angela Howard’s writing. Her raw honesty overlaid with undying optimism comes through on every page, as she leads the reader with authority and a depth of emotion we only see in the most gifted memoir writers. This is a powerful debut book and an important message for our times.
I was given a PDF of the manuscript to read and review before its release. This is an honest review for which I did not receive any compensation.
Sin Child is a tumultuous ride through the drug and alcohol ridden rural towns in the hills of northeast Mississippi, where Howard survived a childhood under too many roofs to describe, making her way through life in the projects, beauty pageants (where she competed with her self-taught ventriloquist talent), numerous schools, and a job selling illegal beer and stolen cigarettes at a convenience store where drug deals happened in the back room. All of this before she turned eighteen.
More abuse at the hands of her Mennonite husband convinced her to go to college and eventually attain a B.S. degree in nursing, after giving birth to premature twin girls without any support from her husband. It was during her work as a nurse that she learned the connection between what she had experienced and PTSD—Post Traumatic Stress Disorder—and received counseling and encouragement to heal herself and help others.
Howard is the founder of PTSD-ACED Foundation, Inc. She is highly impacted by the adverse effects of PTSD secondary to ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences). She herself has the highest ACE score of 10. Howard’s health has been adversely affected as she suffers from multiple autoimmune disorders. Her desire is to bring increased awareness of ACEs by educating those in the medical and educational fields.
Fans of Mary Karr’s The Liar’s Club and Cherry, Kim Michele Richardson’s The Unbreakable Child, and Tara Westover’s Educated: A Memoir will recognize a kindred voice in Angela Howard’s writing. Her raw honesty overlaid with undying optimism comes through on every page, as she leads the reader with authority and a depth of emotion we only see in the most gifted memoir writers. This is a powerful debut book and an important message for our times.
I was given a PDF of the manuscript to read and review before its release. This is an honest review for which I did not receive any compensation.
April 19, 2021
A Worthy Read!
I was drawn to this book partly because of my own trauma history during childhood but also because I enjoy the nonfiction genre --especially the memoir. I also found the cover photo of little Angie to be key in drawing my attention. Just looking at that little girl one can tell that she does not know the feeling of being cherished and well cared for as every child should! This is not the look of a child who was simply mad at being denied a second cookie or told to put her toys away now. This child has been emotionally wounded and I wanted to reach through time and take her pain away!
The story flows well and easily held my attention throughout. I felt however that I couldn't give it 5 stars because the editing missed a few things, one of which was fairly significant. IF I find that it is just my copy of the book, I will adjust accordingly but I don't think it is. That is, throughout the book , one can be reading and all of a sudden, a number shows up right in the middle of the narrative. It is distracting but not a deal breaker. There may be a few spelling or grammatical errors but nothing that significant.
Angela survived a childhood of abuse and neglect but like myself she was fortunate to have had several nurturing women and others cross her path at various times to provide shelter, food, encouragement etc. In my opinion this was a key factor in helping her to draw upon her own resilience and strength in order to succeed in life! She managed, despite her upbringing to KNOW how to love and nurture and this as well as the influence and caring of teachers, the Harris family and others gave her what she needed so that she could lovingly parent her own children when they came along.
I found this to be an engaging and worthwhile read!
I was drawn to this book partly because of my own trauma history during childhood but also because I enjoy the nonfiction genre --especially the memoir. I also found the cover photo of little Angie to be key in drawing my attention. Just looking at that little girl one can tell that she does not know the feeling of being cherished and well cared for as every child should! This is not the look of a child who was simply mad at being denied a second cookie or told to put her toys away now. This child has been emotionally wounded and I wanted to reach through time and take her pain away!
The story flows well and easily held my attention throughout. I felt however that I couldn't give it 5 stars because the editing missed a few things, one of which was fairly significant. IF I find that it is just my copy of the book, I will adjust accordingly but I don't think it is. That is, throughout the book , one can be reading and all of a sudden, a number shows up right in the middle of the narrative. It is distracting but not a deal breaker. There may be a few spelling or grammatical errors but nothing that significant.
Angela survived a childhood of abuse and neglect but like myself she was fortunate to have had several nurturing women and others cross her path at various times to provide shelter, food, encouragement etc. In my opinion this was a key factor in helping her to draw upon her own resilience and strength in order to succeed in life! She managed, despite her upbringing to KNOW how to love and nurture and this as well as the influence and caring of teachers, the Harris family and others gave her what she needed so that she could lovingly parent her own children when they came along.
I found this to be an engaging and worthwhile read!
May 18, 2021
The memoir of a tiny white girl living in the projects in the South with her white mother...or being sadistically abused by her, is more accurate. When Angela did live in a house with her mother and a random woman and her kids, the KKK lit a cross in her yard. It's the black mothers in the tenement building who surround her with love and compassion, providing food, baths, and clean clothes to help this little girl survive.
Being singled out from siblings for merciless abuse by a deranged mother is probably, if truth be told, a more common terror of women who grew up in the 1970s as Angela did. It doesn't matter the socio-economic differences between this little girl and the reader. One look at the cover of the book and you may well see yourself or someone you knew looking back at you with those big eyes in that little red nightgown.
It's cliche to say this is a story of resiliency...but I can't think of a better way to articulate the reason that this first-person account of childhood does not suffocate. I felt thankful for it on many levels after reading it. And, fascinated to know more about the author.
PTSD figures prominently into the memoir as well as the life-long battle against it by Howard.
If you want to know more (like I did) after finishing the book, check out her foundation PTSD-ACE http://www.ptsdaced.org/about-us/
Being singled out from siblings for merciless abuse by a deranged mother is probably, if truth be told, a more common terror of women who grew up in the 1970s as Angela did. It doesn't matter the socio-economic differences between this little girl and the reader. One look at the cover of the book and you may well see yourself or someone you knew looking back at you with those big eyes in that little red nightgown.
It's cliche to say this is a story of resiliency...but I can't think of a better way to articulate the reason that this first-person account of childhood does not suffocate. I felt thankful for it on many levels after reading it. And, fascinated to know more about the author.
PTSD figures prominently into the memoir as well as the life-long battle against it by Howard.
If you want to know more (like I did) after finishing the book, check out her foundation PTSD-ACE http://www.ptsdaced.org/about-us/
April 1, 2021
Sin Child describes the childhood of Angela Howard in rural Mississippi where she endures horrific emotional, sexual and physical abuse, abandonment and instability. Her drug addicted mother hates her and she suffers sexual abuse at the hands of one of her mother's eleven husbands. Other relatives abuse and neglect her or are complicit in the abuse. She was given the derogatory nickname "Sin Child" by her Mennonite grandfather because she was born out of wedlock. All the adults in the life of this child fail her in some way. Her Mennonite husband abuses her and offers no support when she gives birth to twin premature baby girls. Motherhood is the catalyst for Angela to go to college and leave her husband. She earns a degree in nursing, and through her work as a nurse, she learns that she has PTSD from her childhood trauma, and goes on to help others who have suffered from abuse. Sin Child is difficult to read as the abuse that Angela suffered is horrific. Her writing is honest, raw and compelling. She survives a childhood and young adulthood that would destroy most people. Sin Child is a well-written triumphant story of determination, tenacity and survival.
April 24, 2021
Thank you to @booksforward for the gifted review copy.
Memoirs are my favourite type of nonfiction. The power of hearing someone’s personal story resonates strongly with me.
Sin Child is Angela Howard’s personal account of growing up and experiencing unimaginable abuse, neglect and abandonment. The name of the book comes from the moniker given to her by her paternal grandfather as she was born out of wedlock.
The abuse and neglect she shares is heartbreaking. Every adult that should be protecting her as a young girl lets her down. The abuse is passed down through generations on all sides of her family and the way her mother abused her was the hardest part for me to read.
But this is also a story of survival and strength. Against insurmountable conditions, Angela removes herself and her twin daughters from this world and cycle of abuse. She’s an advocate to bring awareness to PTSD-ACED (Adverse Childhood Experiences), especially in the education and medical fields.
This is a strong memoir and will appeal to readers who connected with The Glass Castle and If You Tell. It is not an easy read and I had to take some breaks. Please message me for any specific triggers.
Memoirs are my favourite type of nonfiction. The power of hearing someone’s personal story resonates strongly with me.
Sin Child is Angela Howard’s personal account of growing up and experiencing unimaginable abuse, neglect and abandonment. The name of the book comes from the moniker given to her by her paternal grandfather as she was born out of wedlock.
The abuse and neglect she shares is heartbreaking. Every adult that should be protecting her as a young girl lets her down. The abuse is passed down through generations on all sides of her family and the way her mother abused her was the hardest part for me to read.
But this is also a story of survival and strength. Against insurmountable conditions, Angela removes herself and her twin daughters from this world and cycle of abuse. She’s an advocate to bring awareness to PTSD-ACED (Adverse Childhood Experiences), especially in the education and medical fields.
This is a strong memoir and will appeal to readers who connected with The Glass Castle and If You Tell. It is not an easy read and I had to take some breaks. Please message me for any specific triggers.
January 6, 2021
Thank you to the publisher for making this available via Netgalley for review.
TW: child abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, drug use
Angela "Angie" Howard's memoir is completely heartbreaking. From the synopsis: Sin Child is the personal account of a strong-minded child who endured a daily struggle to find the smallest amount of acceptance and, many times, a place to fall asleep at night. The innocence and nostalgia of a one-traffic-light town fades too fast for the cotton-top child with a neglectful, angry mother and an absent father.
Angie's childhood as described shows how every adult in her life that should have cared for her or stood up for her failed in that regard. Her mother, her grandmother, her great-grandmother, and even her supposed father's religious fanatical family (and later her husband) all work to either abuse her or allow the abuse to continue. After having twin girls at a young age, she is finally able to realize that she can no longer allow the abuse to herself to continue in an effort to finally save herself and save her girls.
TW: child abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, drug use
Angela "Angie" Howard's memoir is completely heartbreaking. From the synopsis: Sin Child is the personal account of a strong-minded child who endured a daily struggle to find the smallest amount of acceptance and, many times, a place to fall asleep at night. The innocence and nostalgia of a one-traffic-light town fades too fast for the cotton-top child with a neglectful, angry mother and an absent father.
Angie's childhood as described shows how every adult in her life that should have cared for her or stood up for her failed in that regard. Her mother, her grandmother, her great-grandmother, and even her supposed father's religious fanatical family (and later her husband) all work to either abuse her or allow the abuse to continue. After having twin girls at a young age, she is finally able to realize that she can no longer allow the abuse to herself to continue in an effort to finally save herself and save her girls.
July 12, 2021
I thought originally that the title of the book was the author calling herself a sin child because she felt sinful for what happened to her. I was wrong. I’m glad she wasn’t calling herself that, but someone else did. A bunch of people actually. It’s terrible. It’s not about what was done to her, but about her being a child out of wedlock and out of a certain religion. As if she had anything to do with that.
Angela had a traumatic childhood and she shares it all here in her book. I hope writing it out and sharing it has helped with her healing. Every time something good happens, it gets taken away. In the end though she perseveres and turns around what happened to her into helping others.
The book was intriguing and I read it in one sitting. Although I cannot identify with what Angela went through but she is strong and I’m glad she is helping others with trauma now. Those people are better off with someone who understands.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Angela had a traumatic childhood and she shares it all here in her book. I hope writing it out and sharing it has helped with her healing. Every time something good happens, it gets taken away. In the end though she perseveres and turns around what happened to her into helping others.
The book was intriguing and I read it in one sitting. Although I cannot identify with what Angela went through but she is strong and I’m glad she is helping others with trauma now. Those people are better off with someone who understands.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
December 25, 2020
Angie didn’t have it easy in life. Every adult in her life abused and abandoned her. Her life was spent bouncing from family member to family member even having to stay with friends when her own family members turned her away. After finding her birth father’s Mennonite family she married a man whom she did not love just to have a stable home. He was just as abusive towards her as every other person who had ever been in Angie’s life. After finding the courage to start school to become a nurse which was a lifelong dream of hers she found a way to make a better life for her and her daughters.
I liked this book because it showed that no matter what the circumstances of your life are if you have enough courage to push through the hard times you can write your own story in life and not have to let the cycles of your past invade your future. It showed that you can be the person you always knew that you could be!
I liked this book because it showed that no matter what the circumstances of your life are if you have enough courage to push through the hard times you can write your own story in life and not have to let the cycles of your past invade your future. It showed that you can be the person you always knew that you could be!
May 12, 2021
⭐⭐⭐⭐Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. This memoir is so many things. Raw, heartbreaking, distressing, thought provoking and even uplifting. Angela writes about her life and the unimaginable abuses she received from so many adults in her life that she should have been able to trust to protect and care for her. How she not only survived but has ended up thriving after living through these horrific challenges is nothing short of inspiring. To the kind adults along the way who recognised that she was getting neglected and did what they could to help her....thank God for your compassion and kindness towards her. #angelahoward #sinchild #netgalley #tea_sipping_bookworm #amazonkindle #goodreads #litsy #thestorygraph #memoir #bookqueen #bookstagram
January 23, 2021
Angela Howard is a survivor. I was horrified to read what absolute hell she was subjected to as a child. Verbally and physically abused by her vile mother, sexually abused by her stepfather, she bounced around from relative to relative. Even when some people showed her love and security, it usually didn’t last long. Angie did possess one thing that saw her through: determination. I applaud her for all her accomplishments and for giving her children two things she was denied-love and security. If you think you can’t get through a tough time, read this memoir and find courage. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance read.
May 10, 2021
Sin Child by Angela Howard was a heartbreaking yet absolutely inspiring memoir. In her book Angela chronicles her live and talks about the abuse, neglect, loss, and trauma that she experienced growing up. She also talks about how she overcame a lot of this trauma and how that inspired her career, and her work with Childhood trauma/PTSD and the study of the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on an individual’s health throughout their life. This story broke my heart, but it reminded me of how resilient the human spirit can be when it’s determined to break the cycle of abuse.
May 20, 2021
I received a review copy from Books Forward and the following is my honest review.
This book was a really fast read for me. Angela captured my attention from the get go. She experienced a childhood that was just unimaginable to me. I felt shock and anger at reading about the hell that she went through. It is a miracle that she survived and ultimately thrived after enduring a life of physical and emotional abuse. I warn other readers that Angela's story contains graphic violence. I applaud her for telling her story.
This book was a really fast read for me. Angela captured my attention from the get go. She experienced a childhood that was just unimaginable to me. I felt shock and anger at reading about the hell that she went through. It is a miracle that she survived and ultimately thrived after enduring a life of physical and emotional abuse. I warn other readers that Angela's story contains graphic violence. I applaud her for telling her story.
April 5, 2020
Finished Sin Child by Angela Howard. This was hard to read, a true story/memoir of a girl abused by almost everyone she had to rely on, bounced around from house to house, adult to adult. Her saving grace was having her two daughters which forced her to care for them, and herself, in ways she would never have done just for herself. I can relate to that part, if you allow it, parenting can be healing. Her resilience is amazing.
April 3, 2021
Despite all of the horrors it depicted, this book made you want to keep reading. The writing was engaging and accessible, and readers were offered an honest glance into Angela’s life and struggles. The ending of this book gave me goosebumps, to see how far she had come, and to have her reflect on her authorship and the power of her voice despite all of the people who put her down. This book is an inspiration in every sense of the word.
February 19, 2025
Unimaginable childhood abuse. The fact that the author managed to survive her horrific childhood is amazing. The fact that she ultimately thrived is nothing short of miraculous. I live in Oxford, MS & know many of the places she references. While reading “Sin Child”, all I could think of was how many more children endure this type of cruelty & don’t make it out alive. She is absolutely a she-ro 🦸♀️
April 15, 2021
Wow...this memoir is so powerful!
Angela graciously shares her story with readers. All of it—even the extremely bad and traumatic. I am in awe of her strength in overcoming adversity and severe trauma in her childhood and early adulthood. Angela’s story is heart-breaking, eye-opening, and inspiring.
If you enjoy memoirs, please consider reading this one!! While reading, this memoir reminded me a lot of If You Tell, Hillbilly Elegy, and The Glass Castle, all rolled into one.
I feel honored to have read this memoir.
Angela graciously shares her story with readers. All of it—even the extremely bad and traumatic. I am in awe of her strength in overcoming adversity and severe trauma in her childhood and early adulthood. Angela’s story is heart-breaking, eye-opening, and inspiring.
If you enjoy memoirs, please consider reading this one!! While reading, this memoir reminded me a lot of If You Tell, Hillbilly Elegy, and The Glass Castle, all rolled into one.
I feel honored to have read this memoir.
April 13, 2022
This book was so good! It is an amazing story of persistence and determination. It made me cry and it made me smile. It is so eye opening to how some kids may live today.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews