by Mary Karr
First published 2009
Raised in a hardscrabble Texas childhood, Mary Karr finds fleeting solace in marriage and motherhood. But her past proves inescapable as she descends into the abyss of alcoholism and madness, nearly losing everything. A stint in a psychiatric ward offers a glimmer of hope, leading her on an unlikely path to faith and self-discovery. Lit is a raw, darkly humorous account of one woman's struggle to grow up, on her own terms.
Genres: addiction, autobiography, contemporary, biography-memoir
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate
Tropes: coming-of-age, self-discovery
Setting: Texas, United States
Period: 20th century
386 pages · Hardcover · Harper
Content warnings: addiction, alcohol-abuse, depression, mental-illness