Community Action Book Club
November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month
SELECTION FOR NOVEMBER 2012
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by Liz Murray, 352 pages, published September 7, 2010
**DON'T MISS** Questions for Readers to Explore
Scroll down for review, author interview and more
Discussion Forum
Readers are encouraged to Add Comments to describe how the book relates to your work, your thoughts on issues brought out by the author, your overall impressions of the book, etc. - see Guidelines for Comments.
- What obstacles did Liz have to overcome in her early life?
- What strengths existed in her family?
- Describe some of the support Liz received to overcome her challenges.
- How would your agency work with this family?
- What lessons can be drawn from her experiences?
Please LET US KNOW if you have any suggested titles for future selections.
From GoodReads.com
Liz Murray was born to loving but drug-addicted parents in the Bronx. In school she was taunted for her dirty clothing and lice-infested hair, eventually skipping so many classes that she was put into a girls' home. At age fifteen, Liz found herself on the streets when her family finally unraveled. She learned to scrape by, foraging for food and riding subways all night to have a warm place to sleep. When Liz's mother died of AIDS, she decided to take control of her own destiny and go back to high school, often completing her assignments in the hallways and subway stations where she slept. Liz squeezed four years of high school into two, while homeless; won a "New York Times" scholarship; and made it into the Ivy League. "Breaking Night" is an unforgettable and beautifully written story of one young woman's indomitable spirit to survive and prevail, against all odds.
Author Interviews and More
Perseverance (4 min 20 sec) – Liz Murray talks about working hard to make her dreams come true
NPR Interview (30 minutes)
The World in Our Grasp – Liz Murray on TED (12 min 26 sec)
Your Personal Best: From Homeless to Harvard – Success Magazine
