“Lavender . . . holds nothing back as she recounts her life spent in and out of hospitals and her subsequent dissociation from her own body and emotions. She struggles with health problems from birth, which are compounded by her surroundings, including frequent encounters with street fights, domestic violence and poverty. Her voice is as strong as the front she puts up for the multitude of doctors she sees, and it’s hard not to be in awe of what one fragile human being can withstand in the course of such a short lifetime . . . witnessing her strength and sheer determination to live makes this striking book completely engrossing.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“[One of] the reigning mother superiors of the crowd [is] Bee Lavender.”
—Time Magazine

“Bee’s scrupulous, non-histrionic style is thrilling; it allows for some devastating emotional moments because the author comes by them honestly.”
—Ayun Halliday, author of No Touch Monkey

“Bee Lavender is a fantastic writer. Her work is deep and personal and I don’t think there are any places she’s scared to go.”
—Michelle Tea, author of The Chelsea Whistle

“Stunning: oblique yet heart-wrenching details.”
—Bitch Magazine: Feminist Response to Pop Culture

“Bee Lavender—writer, activist, mother of two—is definitely hot. She is the very embodiment of extreme motherhood.”
—Borders.com