Finalist! 2025 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Women's Nonfiction
Half Penny
is a deeply intimate memoir that unearths the buried truths of a fractured childhood shaped by secrecy, loss, and the longing for connection. In the wake of her father's death, Lori is pulled into a reckoning: not only with the volatile man he was, but with the lies he took to his grave.
What begins as a daughter's attempt to lay her father to rest becomes a harrowing excavation of her earliest memories: her mother's early death, her own childhood abduction, and the quiet violence of being raised in a home where loyalty meant silence. Told in sharp, lyrical prose,
examines the emotional cost of survival and the courage it takes to face the past.
Unflinching yet compassionate,
invites readers into the heart of a girl growing up amid chaos, and the woman who must piece herself back together to reclaim her voice. Fans of memoirs like
Troubled
(Rob K Henderson) and
The Glass Castle
(Jeanette Walls) will find familiar emotional terrain in this true story of deception, survival, and identity lost and found.
Perfect for readers who:
-look for true stories
-are drawn to emotional and unforgettable narratives
-want to be inspired by courageous accounts of resilience and survival
-need a selection for their book club
-enjoy accessible stories