Runaway: A Memoir

Just turned fourteen, after years of sexual abuse at the hands of her biological father, Kim wasn't just ready to run away from home. She was ready to go to court. She was prepared to do everything necessary to see him in jail. In "Runaway," a true-life memoir, Kim recalls her escape from home to a halfway house for runaways. From there, she moves to a foster home and eventually a placement center, while being ground through the glacial and uncaring juvenile and criminal justice systems. Meanwhile, her clueless mother is caught in the middle, forced to choose between her equally compelling daughter and husband. Against the backdrop of glittering Hollywood, Kim struggles to find her identity, do the "right thing," and heal herself. Surrounded by teens in desperate trouble struggling with homelessness, addiction, and heartbreak, she embraces the chaos and uncertainty. After the court trials, she returns home to seek recovery and healing, before moving forward through adulthood. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse live a lifetime under its dark shadow. Sharing our stories allows us to heal, and this empowerment helps take the horror away.