A few weeks ago I had the absolute privilege of taking photos and hearing Liz Murray speak during the Smart Talk Women series in New Brunswick, NJ (you can hear about her work at Homeless to Harvard or in her book Breaking Night). I remember seeing her on the Oprah Show years ago, in which she was awarded the first ever Chutzpah Award, thinking what courage she had.
As she states on her website, in her book, and during her presentation, she was born to loving but drug-addicted parents in the Bronx. Although I don’t know how she lived through it all personally as I grew up in a stable environment, I do know first hand the effects of drug addiction and what it can do to families. I had tears in my eyes several times during her talk and came home immediately to check out her book from the library. What a powerful, emotional rollercoaster. Many compare it to The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (which is another memoir about a highly dysfunctional family life!!) which I can very much see why. I highly recommend reading Breaking Night if you have a moment.
At the end of the talk, they do a Q&A with the audience. Thankfully Liz gave us an update on all those she talks about in her book. She has surrounded herself with an incredible family – they all live within 5 blocks of each other!!! In some exciting news, Liz and her husband are expecting their first baby boy this year! She is totally glowing!
What a cool experience!! Thanks for the heads up on the book – I’ll have to check it out. Great photos!