Our prisons and mental hospitals are filled with tragic stories like Tuesday Storm’s. Her early childhood was riddled with torturous ＂games＂ and violent physical attacks. She was isolated from the rest of her family, locked in an attic with nothing but a bare bed and a bucket for a toilet, and fed just enough to be kept alive. The experts say it’s next to impossible to find the soul’s light in a dark past like Tuesday’s. They say she’ll never trust again after being betrayed by the people she loved most, or silence the voices inside her head telling her she’s worthless and unloved. She’s doomed to suffer a lifetime of depression and self-destructive behavior, and destined to be drawn to people who will again abuse her. That’s what the experts say. And the thing about experts is—they’re usually right. Call Me Cockroach is a chilling illustration of the unfortunate truth that no one comes away from severe childhood trauma unscathed.
For those of you familiar with Byrne’s debut book, Call Me Tuesday, this memoir is the rest of the story. To everyone else, it’s a glimpse into the tormented mind and troubled heart of a woman struggling to overcome the debilitating aftermath of a horrific childhood.
