Somebody's Daughter

A Memoir

By: Ashley C. Ford

Narrated by: Ashley C. Ford

Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

"Ashley C. Ford brings listeners into her life in this outstanding coming-of-age story.... Listeners will cheer as Ford attends college and weep as she visits her father in prison, and when he is finally released." (AudioFile magazine, Earphones Award winner)

This program is read by the author, and includes a bonus conversation between the author and Clint Smith.

One of the most prominent voices of her generation debuts with an extraordinarily powerful memoir: the story of a childhood defined by the looming absence of her incarcerated father.

Through poverty, adolescence, and a fraught relationship with her mother, Ashley Ford wishes she could turn to her father for hope and encouragement. There are just a few problems: He’s in prison, and she doesn’t know what he did to end up there. She doesn’t know how to deal with the incessant worries that keep her up at night, or how to handle the changes in her body that draw unwanted attention from men. In her search for unconditional love, Ashley begins dating a boy her mother hates. When the relationship turns sour, he assaults her. Still reeling from the rape, which she keeps secret from her family, Ashley desperately searches for meaning in the chaos. Then, her grandmother reveals the truth about her father’s incarceration...and Ashley’s entire world is turned upside down.

Somebody’s Daughter steps into the world of growing up a poor Black girl in Indiana with a family fragmented by incarceration, exploring how isolating and complex such a childhood can be. As Ashley battles her body and her environment, she embarks on a powerful journey to find the threads between who she is and what she was born into, and the complicated familial love that often binds them.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books

"Ashley Ford's prose is glass - so clear, sharp and smooth that the reader sees, in vivid focus, her complicated childhood, brilliant mind, and golden heart. The gravity and urgency of Somebody’s Daughter anchored me to my chair and slowed my heartbeat - like no book has since Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. Ashley Ford is a writer for the ages, and Somebody’s Daughter will be a book of the year." (Glennon Doyle, author of number-one New York Times best seller Untamed and founder of Together Rising)

"This remarkable, heart-wrenching story of loss, hardship, and self-acceptance astounds." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“Ford’s wrenchingly brilliant memoir is truly a classic in the making. The writing is so richly observed and so suffused with love and yearning that I kept forgetting to breathe while reading it.” (John Green, number-one New York Times best-selling author)

©2021 Ashley C. Ford (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

Christian Science Monitor Best Books of the Year, 2021

Hudson Booksellers Best of the Year, 2021

Washington Post Best Books of the Year, 2021

Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year, 2021

New York Times Book Review Notable Books of the Year, 2021

Love, forgiveness and healing.

“Although the wind blows terribly here, the moonlight also leaks between the roof planks of this ruined house."
Izumi Shikibu

Ashley penned a transparent story that encapsulated love, belonging, forgiveness, resentment, poverty, incarceration, mental health, generational trauma, and abuse. Through the lens of her earliest memories of her childhood, she recalls her very volatile relationship with her mother and other friends/family members. Although there were memories she did not want to keep Ashley bravely reckoned with puberty and stolen innocence. Her mother was abusive and emotionally unavailable. Her father was unavailable due to his incarceration. Given her fathers' circumstances, the only way her father showed her love was through his letters. Throughout the story, Ashley exhibited a spirit of resilience. She unapologetically owned her truth and ultimately was able to salvage a familial bond. We spend so much time harboring resentment and unforgiveness, which only perpetuates the issues. It's either a tragic situation or in death that regrets consume us. But, forgiveness is a struggle for most of us. Ashley belonged to somebody. She is Somebody's Daughter.

absolutely marvelous!

I could see sand feel Ashely as well as I could see and feel my on issues. Wow an incredibly desnse experience. Remarkable!

Both grounding and electrifying

I am grateful to the Author, Ashley, who wrote and voiced the words of experiences so often only spoken of behind closed doors in hushed tones. Grateful to her for sharing that deep love and great distance that can be between two imperfect beings, who are related, bound and unknown.

I am her! She is me! So Relatable!

I fell in love with this story. I thought I would feel heavy afterwards and I didn't. Ashley's memoir had me self reflecting and gave me permission to take that deep releasing breath I have been holding inside.

Great memoir

A very touching memoir, so interesting and lovely to listen to. A very worthy read. Congratulations to the author.

Powerful

OMGoodness. On one hand, I cannot resist declaring how great this book is. Both the writing and narration instantly drew me in, holding me captive until the final word. But how does one say a book is good when faced with such difficult, raw truths revealed by the author? Still, as the author triumphed, I celebrated! The interview at the end with her friend Clint Smith led me to immediately download his book, How The Word Is Passed. I’m glad both authors are such good friends and that they encourage each other in their crafts.

I was riveted

The honesty and vulnerability in display in this book are admirable and heart wrenching. The author’s voice performance of her own words was beautiful- to me. I’m giving it 4 stars overall only because I expected the story would be about her and her father. It’s really about her, and her relationship with her mother. Still compelling, just not what I thought it would be, so I was surprised when it was over.

Thanks for Sharing

A true testament of what we all have learned or encountered in our lives/family. Brought me to tears hearing all the familiarities in your story.

Like listening to a friend’s true story.

I’ve only listened to and told the true stories like this in personal conversations, usually early in a relationship when there’s enough trust to expose who you really are and how you got there. We feel and relate and reflect and learn much about ourselves as we learn about our friend. All that happened for me here. I loved Ashley’s voice as she spoke to me. I definitely recommend.

An intimate gift shared by the author

It was hard to put this book down. I also highly recommend the interview at the end :)