Tuesday, January 22, 2008

"HAVE YOU FOUND HER" by Janice Erlbaum


After reading Erlbaum's first novel ("Girlbomb: a halfway homeless memoir") I had high expectations. A few chapters in, I didn't think this second book would measure up. Oh, how I was wrong.
At fifteen years old the author spent time in a homeless shelter in NYC, running the streets and expirimenting with drugs. Somehow she managed to get her life together, dispelling the myth that all homeless people are a lost cause. Almost 20 years later, she decides to go back to the shelter where it all started. Immediately she is drawn to a young woman she calls Sam, who is on the run from an abusive, drug-addled childhood. Erlbaum quickly realizes this is no ordinary teenager. Not only is Sam street-smart, she's an incredibly gifted writer, piano player, skateboarder... you name it. Ignoring the advice of counselors at the shelter, she develops a friendship with the girl that she doesn't know how to cope with. She was warned that Sam could have severe emotional problems that she is not trained to handle, but how do you stop yourself from falling in love with someone? Like romantic love, maternal love knows no boundaries, which Erlbaum learns the hard way. She supports Sam through ups and downs; drug treatment programs, hospitals, and psychiatric facilities. The love she has for her pseudo-daughter is unselfish and unwavering. She wants to make a difference, but in the end gets more than she bargained for. As it turns out, Sam could possibly be a genius. Unfortunately, Sam's vast knowledge makes it easy for her to deceive both the author and many health care professionals. This girl knows how to work the system for her own benefit.
This memoir will keep you guessing, and give you a whole new outlook the next time you see a homeless person on the street. Honest. Compassionate. Heart wrenching. Definitely a must-read.

1 comment:

Satia said...

Tehcnically speaking, neither of Erlbaum's books are novels. They are memoir but they definitely read like fiction, don't they?

Oh wait. I haven't actually read the second book but I am very eager to read it. Three weeks and counting!!! Your review makes that wait seem even longer! Thanks!