Climbing the Broken Stairs, a memoir

by Frieda Annette Adkins

Frieda grew up in Pittsburgh, PA. She and her five brothers were the offspring of a wayward mother (Hetty "Etta" Brown), who, with an admitted "drinking problem" and a lustful spirit, spend most days in liquor bars, chasing men. Etta's willful neglect left her children to fend for themselves against the harsh and unforgiving elements of their urban streets; streets overrun with predators.
Climbing the Broken Stairs, is an inspiring true-life account of one person's struggle to overcome child abuse (most of which having occurred within the families), and maintain the belief that a better life was possible, if she could first break free from a dysfunctional environment.

Genres: Memoir, Abuse, Nonfiction

364 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Michelle Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can you call a book of this nature good? It was well written, insightful and down right scary. I held my daughters close to me and prayed that I could and would always protect them from monsters of this nature.

The author never let this book become a "poor, pitiful me" type book.

She wrote with depth and insight fulness. She broke my heart numerous times, but she never set out to do that.

I wanted to shake her mother and wake her up.

Kudos for this young lady making the decisions she did. And for healing in her life. What bravery!

I especially loved how she was able to tell us about the abuse without ever being too descriptive.

[Kathryn Spurgeon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing

I couldn’t finish this book because the language was too bad. I thought it might be a good story so I was disappointed.

[Yvonne Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a book for the faint at heart. The subject is very difficult to read about and I found myself having a stomach ache worrying about the author and what was going to happen to her next. She lived in a world very much different from my own and I appreciate the trials she went through. I simply cannot imagine the horrors. I wonder how many other young women experience the same things. Unfortunately, even though I can feel the author's rage because of them, there are LOTS of F-bombs.

Definately a book to make you think about life from a different perspective.

The author needed a better editor. I was distracted by the number of spelling errors in the book. But other than that, the book was EXCELLENT!

[Amy Plitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want to feel like the perfect mother, read this. It's difficult for me to recommend this book because of the language and graphic depictions of sexual abuse the author describes from her childhood. I chose this book to read because the author is from Pittsburgh, and I recognized the areas and streets around town that she mentions in the book. I had to read to the end, however, because sad as the book was, I sensed a glimmer of hope in the author's voice that all would turn out OK. Although her upbringing did not involve church or God (quite the opposite), she kept referencing God as her one and only hope. The ending was not what I expected--such a happy end to a nightmare of a first 18 years.

[Megan Moody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it's very interesting. I read it in just a few days. On the other hand, the subject matter is absolutely brutal and difficult to read about. The added problem of whether the memoir is at all accurate is always in my mind, too. Oh how I wish they fact checked memoirs so we could at least know the basics of a book are true. If it is true, kudos to the author for surviving. If it's embellished, but at least some parts were true, why would she embellish any of the events would be horrible to go through? If it's false, she has a very active imagination. I choose to believe it's true, so all I can say is wow.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was difficult to read yet I wanted to finish to find out how Frieda was able to escape her hopeless situation. Her style of writing kept me from connecting to her and it wasn't until the end of the book did I figure out why. She wrote with the same sense of indifference as she kept having to live with everywhere. How does one cope in a world where no one protects you or cares? Numbness. Indifference.

As soon as she found a way out and found hope for a future for herself in the military did her voice change.

My only wish is that Frieda wrote about her time in the military and how it changed her. Another book?

[Moe · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was difficult to read this story, however I couldn't put the book down. The author spent her childhood trying to survive abuse. It is a tragic story, but at the same time, it is also inspiring to see how she escaped that life and made a better future for herself. There were spelling errors that could possibly be from the (formatting to Kindle process). I don't know. Anyways, I wish there was more information about the author because I would like to read more of her books, should she write more.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing memoir. To have a view in to her young life... It made me sad and super mad for what she went through. She wrote with depth and insight fulness. She broke my heart numerous times, but she never set out to do that. I wanted to shake her mother and wake her up.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a difficult book to read, yet I could not put it down. The harsh reality of this author's life growing up just about broke my heart. There's a lot of bad language, but I don't think one could grasp her reality if she had written it any different. She told it like it was. I agree with another reviewer, she could have used a better editor...a lot of misspellings. Good book with a triumphant ending.

[Jessi Nill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book is very well written, and tells a heart-wrenching story. I don't think I've ever cried like that while reading a book, more for the horrible horrible things occuring and the anger it made me have that no one did anything. I felt as helpless as she did. I felt the end of the book really tied everything up. I'd love to see her write another book and further expand on her time in the Navy and after.

[Mom]

This is an extremely difficult book to read. I just finished it an hour ago, and I'm still upset by it. The ending, however, is worthy of the journey. The ending, is really the beginning. Read it, but be prepared to be disturbed, over, and over and over.

[Jeni · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a tough book to read due to the subject matters. It is sickening to realize that people knowingly put children in harms way daily and even more to read a firsthand account. With my family background I especially was happy to see the lifeline be the navy as an escape route.

[Barbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was difficult to read this story, however I couldn't put the book down. The author spent her childhood trying to survive abuse. It is a tragic story, but at the same time, it is also inspiring.

[Amy Diggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very sad and tough story to read...

[Susan Patterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sad story, not very well written

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me cry! Her story is amazing and I am very inspired by the strength and courage Frieda had to climb her broken stairs.

[Colette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read, and very emotional. Frieda survived a very ruff climb, but I was glad to see she turned out wonderful in the end. Thanks Frieda for sharing.

[Yen Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was well written but very hard to read because of the monstrosity this little girl went through. It was pretty upsetting to read because it reminded me of friends that went through the same thing. Not as bad as the character in this story but similar. It's a great book to read because it helps you to be careful with your kids around strangers and family. Learn to see the signs before it's to late.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow Just Wow

Poverty isn't easy on a soul ! An uncaring mother is absolutely a soul crushing experience. Abuse in any form is terrible and terrifying ! Sexual abuse is demeaning, heart breaking, and totally the most horrendous experience to live with ! And when others know and let it continue, you lose your self worth. I am so thrilled Frieda made it out there are plenty who don't. God Bless you girl. You deserve every happiness you get.

[barbara king nalder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Broken Staircase

I found this a shocking book about a life I was unfamiliar with. The hardships she endured were seemingly insurmountable. The book helped me understand how difficult it is to survive poverty and terrible abuse.

[Shelly Lizotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

An ok book. Glad I took the time to learn about her awful journey, however there were many missing & wrong words, it was long & repetitive & the end rather anticlimactic.

[Rhonda Rae Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is amazing, however the writing is choppy and there seems to be much more to the story. I started off liking it more than when it tapered off towards the end. As if the editor got tired of working throught he same issues.

That being said, what Frieda went through is all too common from what I've come to believe in all my memoir reading. How can any parent allow this type of thing to happen...even once, let along over and over.

The abuse that Frieda overcame is horrendous...I wish that she could have written about how she processed what happened during her time in the military...this is the healing story that I was hoping to read when I purchased the book.

Either way, this is a start...maybe she will tell the rest of the story another time...maybe rewrite this one to make it better and tell us what we really need to know.

How to heal...how to overcome...how to make it to the top of the stairs...not just how she fell through and struggled.

Very difficult read in content and context but provided insight. Thank you Frieda for telling s your story!!!

[Cyndi · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was well-written, I just feel like part of the story was left out. There was so much inner dialogue during the time when she was young and then once she got into high school it felt, to me, more like an outline of the facts, not as much heart and feeling (or should I say despair and horror?) was in the story, like the author was just in a hurry to end it.

I don't know how this woman survived, she's made of some pretty amazing stuff to come out on the side she did.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought i had a strong stomach for this kind of stuff, having worked in nonprofit with kids from broken homes, but I have to admit that I skipped a few chapters in the middle due to their graphic nature. But the author did a great job telling her story and I was physically sick reading what had happened to her in her life. Much respect for her to be so candid with her story and share with the world.

[Pam M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A VERY inspirational story of a girl being raised by her unwed-welfare mother who lives in the ghetto. She discovers that her mother is wrapped in her own relationships and unable to protect her.

Raped at 8 years of age with more abuse to follow - this is a story how she perseveres through multiple abortions, attempted suicide, and other destructive things which comes from being raised in such a life.

[Brooke Hailey]

This book was extremely disturbing but so brave of Ms. Adkins to give us insight into the life of an abused child. It's not a book to read if you are looking for a pick me up. I think the only thing that got me through to the end was just pulling for her wanting to know that she made it through and survived the horror that was her childhood.

[Luisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It can get kind of hard to digest at times, but it's so personal that you can't help but feel for the author and be proud of her for her courage in living through her reality and then to write a book with pure honesty (no sugar coating).

[VeeJay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Painful to read; seems that the writer put herself in some situations that she clearly seemed to know was wrong, but she went with the flow. I wrote a raw review on Amazon and she seemed to not understand where I was coming from, so you guys read it and tell me what you think.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book...but tough to read.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a hard subject to read about. This book is very honestly written and certainly kept my interest throughout.