The Ugly Daughter is a thrilling memoir, the gripping true story of a young woman who witnessed horrific murders and who overcame cruel abuse and unimaginable tragedies to find love and peace; to rise from rags to riches.
Julia Legian's emotionally, harrowing and fascinating memoir reveals how she endured a series of unbelievable tragedies and heartbreaking abuse from the hands of her parents and great aunty, and how she rose above her horrendous past to have a successful and happy life. It’s beautifully written with simplicity and shocking honesty. The Ugly Daughter is a wonderful reminder that regardless of your social background or environment you came from, you can rise above the tragedy and survive. This book also clearly demonstrates that anything is possible if only you have firm faith in God or your creator. It’s an amazing story of miracles, shocking reality of domestic violence, survival and extraordinary luck. This really is a powerful and touching story that must be read.
Professional Reviews
Could not let it off my hands
First of all lets get this straight: this is not The Plague or The Trial. This is a memoir written by somebody who had a story to tell. And what a story! Yes, the writing is not that of Kerouac's or Steinbeck's but it is good writing nonetheless. The unembellished prose takes you on a fast pace through a series of thrilling episodes from the author's unbelievable childhood. I have rated this book five stars on the account that I started to read it out of curiosity and could not let it go until I finished it. This is quite a fit as I tend to read 4 books at a time and usually read one or two chapters from each book in one sitting. "The Ugly Daughter" took me into a world completely unknown to me and taught me a great deal of what was like to live in Vietnam in the 70's and the 80's.
Hope is a good thing, maybe the best thing......
It is interesting to me that so many successful and powerful women have gone through so much, but refuse to be labeled as a victim. Women claw and grasp at every edge of the steep slope we have little hope of getting over, we grope in the dark and make lots of mistakes because we take risks of knowing that any risk we take is better than the place we are today. We stand with our feet firmly planted on the ground even though our knees are shaking, our body's exhausted, with our head's held high, we demand a better life.
All children are born with self-esteem, it's the adults in their lives that take it from them. Julia's story gives women hope, a window in a windowless room. The most successful women in the world are successful because they are survivors.
There is a gene (or so in my science book there is) that some women can survive and come out stronger. It's as though the evil in their lives fuels the good creating strength beyond measure.
This book is a must read for encouragement, validation and confirmation that we can endure, we do have strength and we do have worth.
Horror story with happy ending
Julia Legian's memoir is among the most harrowing and moving life stories I have come across. While the life in Vietnam her family escaped from was beyond any horror fiction, unfortunately the children did not escape their torturers, her parents. The author's rise through luck, determination and intelligence to a place where she could write and publish a book in a second language is both a relief and a testament to the human spirit. 4 stars and 5 tissue boxes.
Destiny's Daughter by Frances Altman highlights events in the life of Mary Edwards Walker, maverick suffragist, Civil War doctor and only woman Medal of Honor recipient.
The experience of a young adult trying to figure out what they want to do for employment or education can be overwhelming. My book will give them insight to what it means to be a carpenter. And the progress unions have made in discrimination.
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