A Piece of Cake: A Memoir

I know some people say the author is not honest and made up much of this story. I don't know and I don't care. It's a great story and very engaging, hard to put the down book. It's funny and raw and just a great read. And for all I know it's completely true. I'm not here to pass judgement on the author, just the book and the book is great. If you have never thought about people living in inner city poverty or growing up in the foster care system, it's a real eye opener. Even if all the things didn't happen to the author herself, they regularly happen to some kids and it's something we all should be more aware of. This book should be read in high school classes, as well as adults. It will give the kids an enjoyable, but real story that helps them better understand our society. It's also inspiring about how anyone can turn their life around, but it isn't easy and it takes help and we need more compassion for people who suffer from racism and poverty.

A Piece of Cake is an incredible story of cupcake Brown’s life. Her early life was horrifying and sad as she was placed in the foster system and endured unbelievable cruelty from so many people who should have been protecting her. Yet, even within those awful situations, she remained strong and determined to get out of it. And she did - only to get into a life of alcohol, drugs, gangs, sex, and crime. Her horrifying story becomes inspiring when she makes the decision to join a 12- step program and through determination and strength of character, she stops the drugs and alcohol, and finds her purpose and goal in life.

This book is a great read for anyone who likes memoirs. This book is as good as it gets. Cupcake's struggles through her life will make anyone feel for her. She has a way of telling her stories that just completely draws you in. As soon as I received the book, I picked it up to read a chapter and could NOT put it down! I read the whole thing straight. I put the book down for a moment to take my dog outside and my sister picked it up in that brief time period. When I returned to resume my reading, my sister was already on the fifth chapter and did NOT want to put it down either. She let me continue ONLY on the condition that as soon as I am done that I let her finish. Well, that was easy! I had it for her the next day :) Cupcake is an inspiration and her story makes you feel like if the fact that if she has overcome the obstacles that she had been challenged with, anyone can! The best part is that now she is an prominent lawyer as well as a motivational speaker. You can't get a better deal in my mind. A spell-binding memoir read that you can not stop reading that ends up with such a feel good ending that most tales like this cease to have. I think the title is very clever as well. Anyway, as you can tell I can not say enough good things about this book. After reading it, I wished I had bought it right when it came out when she was on tour for her book signing because she is someone that you makes you wish you had the chance to meet and just talk to even if only for a brief moment! 5 stars!

We read "A Piece of Cake" as the book for African American month. The memoir's of Cupcake Brown was shocking, heartbreaking, maddening, spiritual, and finally, uplifting! We as a book club (We Be Book'n Book Club) gave this writing a 4 1/2 to the author, Cupcake Brown. It is a novel that started with Cupcake as an 11 year old. She was the one who found her mother dead, and how I think it changed her life completely. From there the book takes you into how the court systems gave her to her biological father whom she did not even know (thinking that her step-father was her real father). It was her birth father who sent her to a foster home to split the money with the foster parent. This is where she suffered the abuse, along with many other foster children living in the house and her brother, whom she never really got along with. It tells of how she ran away numerous times to find a better life and fell into the life of drugs and prostitution at an early age of 11. Cupcake traveled up and down the California coast hitch hiking, drinking, and prostituting, until she came to live with a great-aunt and her cousins, which were in a gang. She learned and loved being in a gang was safe, because of the love and protection she received from them. Cupcake became emancipated and was able to get the money that her birth father and foster parent were getting. This allowed her to get her own place, and of course there were stipulations, which she used to her advantage. All this, while she was using various of the most addictive drugs, (the hardest drugs you can think of) drinking, and prostituting, slanging drugs, and stealing, so she could support her growing habbits. It takes you into detailed accounts of how she had fallen to rock bottom before she could come to grips with how her life was going to end. Only by the grace of God, and people that loved her unconditionally, was she able to pull herself up, and go into a 12 step program. This would lead to her becoming sober, going to school, and becoming the person she is today! A must read, but be forwarned that at times you might want to throw the book down, and other times you might cry, and say how could this happen to one person, but all in all, it is a book that you will not want to stop reading 'til you come to the end of Cupcake's story. Claudia from We Be Book'n Book Club

It’s rare that I give any book a 5 star review. But, this is an exceptional case! It’s an exceptional book!!! How could I not?!!! This is the story of a true hero that overcame nearly impossible odds to find meaning in value in her life. Understanding addiction isn’t for everyone. However, the author provides a very real and brutally honest account of the tragic circumstances that led to the path she chose. This novel is EXTREMELY relatable. It is an honest look not only into how government systems designed to protect us can fail us but what mechanisms we must resort to in order to cope when at our lowest. Props to Cupcake and her heroism and humility in sharing her struggles. I highly recommend this novel to everyone. No matter what your background or personal struggles are, you’re sure to gain something inspirational from this read. ❤️

Es un libro que te deja cicatriz. Totalmente conmovedor y motivador, enseña que frente a cualquier adversidad hay una solucion

This is an amazing book.. 100% respect for this lady .. it's a hard reality of what people go through, but it shows determination what they can accomplish once they do. I love this book.

Me llego un día antes de lo esperado. Muy buen libro de la vida real.

Great read

Great insight on what some people has to grow through, eye opening story to grow empathy and understanding. No regrets on reading that book