Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard
Written by Liz Murray
Narrated by Liz Murray
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
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 woman's indomitable spirit to survive and prevail, against all odds.
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Reviews for Breaking Night
304 ratings77 reviews
What our readers think
Readers find this title to be incredibly inspiring, with a perfect writing style and a fast-paced plot that keeps them hooked. The book is described as dark and descriptive at times, but it is highly recommended for mature young adults and older readers. It is seen as a wonderful addition to alternative school settings or juvenile probation offices. Overall, the book is amazing, heartbreaking, and inspiring, and readers admire the protagonist.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I highly recommend Liz Murray’s book, Breaking Night. This “page turner” is her own unbelievable, survival story of growing up in the Bronx, the child of dysfunctional parents. Murray’s account of her parent’s destruction of their family through drug addiction, her eventual, guideless life on the streets, AIDS, predators, and how she found her way out, is told in a sincere, insightful way. Her astute observations also educate the reader. Thanks to Hyperion Book and the author for allowing me to review this Early Reviewers' book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Amazing, heartbreaking, but most of all... inspiring! Thank you for sharing your journey.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Liz Murray’s handicap was her age. Too young to be taken seriously by those in positions of influence and power, she nevertheless managed to take shaky control of her own life as a small child and survive in a world with rules that were meaningless to her. Eventually, with remarkably clear thinking and determination Murray managed to flourish – proving to herself that possibilities exist even in dire circumstances. She realized that though your friends can help you over the immediate crisis what you want and need in life must come from yourself. At the risk of sounding just plain corny, I have to admit this book broke through my comfortable thinking and changed my perspective of homelessness. For more years than I care to admit, I had fallen into the trap of categorizing all homeless people into a group of those feeling somehow entitled to handouts and expecting to live off others. There is now a major crack in my (past) solid conviction that the homeless should use their energies and problem solving abilities to “get a job – get a life”. Apparently, more often than I would like to think, there are those who truly fall outside the systems of our society through no fault of their own, especially children. It is not just about money, food and shelter. Just as important (especially to the young) are acceptance, opportunities, self-esteem and purpose.Written with honesty and without self pity, this story of Murray’s childhood relates the pain of what drugs will do to a family, how she found friendship and love in unlikely and dangerous situations, and the failure of society to protect and nourish needy children. Still, I don’t believe this writing was meant to be a guilt trip for the fortunate. It was focused on pain, trauma, love, healing and empowerment and could apply to anyone. Time and again, it is clear in this memoir of loneliness and need that so little human kindness can mean so much. This book should be suggested/required reading for all high school students. Based on how this book has pushed my thinking forward, I am giving it a high rating.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was an awesome read and very inspirational! Very fast read being I could not put this book down! Don't read late at night if you need to get up early the next day :) it's a bit dark and descriptive at times but as a high school teacher this would be a wonderful book to have on the shelf in an alternative school setting or juvenile probation office! Wonderful book for mature young adults and older!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Painful to read at times, it was nevertheless a very inspiring story by the end. With very vivid details, it was compelling to see someone who came from such a tough childhood take responsibility for herself and become a success at a young age. I couldn't help but relate it to The Glass Castle since I read that recently as well.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Liz Murray has written a compelling memoir about her life, from her earliest memories until the time she applies to Harvard University. The writing isn’t polished but that makes it even more powerful. To live through what she did and succeed as she has – is incredibly inspiring. She mentions her journal often in the book; I’m assuming that is why she can include so much detail. I’m looking forward to her next memoir, about her time at Harvard and what decisions she makes about her future.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Amazing book I love it. I admire this girl.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I couldn’t stop listening! This was an incredible story and written so perfectly!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If you like stories of despair to triumph (and I do) you will like this book. Once again I wonder how people manage to escape from a life of poverty and come out shinning. Recommended
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Liz was brought up by drug addicted parents. They lived in a filthy apartment. Liz, herself, was filthy. She was picked on in school, and began to stay home as a result.
Read her story about how she survived and how she got her life turned around and made it into Harvard.
Very inspiring. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I skipped/skimmed through the first 2/3 of this book. It's a difficult read (emotionally).
The last third is absolutely inspiring. I couldn't go to sleep until I finished! - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I saw the 2003 TV movie where Thora Birch played the author, and this is her own story. Murray's Bronx childhood with druggy parents was harrowing, but she survived and thrived.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A great read! Somewhat in the vein of "Glass Castle". Both womenare strong beyond belief! This book is a testament to the strength of the human spirit. I think this book should be required reading for teenagers today!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/54Q, 2P Liz Murray's memoir of her young adult life is rough from the story and the words she speaks in her own recorded audio book. She is a victim of unfit parents who are addicted to drugs and alcohol and torn between feeding their own habit or feeding Liz and her sister, Lisa. Although Liz is forced to care for herself emotionally and physically, she is resourceful and perseverant. She makes several poor decisions that significantly impact her life, such as leaving the roof over her head to live on the streets of Bronx, seeking refuge of a controlling homeless man for love, money, shelter and food, and opting to skip school completely. Both of her parents contract AIDS reinforcing her decision to never resort to a life of drugs! Over time, she recognizes the importance of education as a way out of her situation and seeks alternative systems to the standard NYC public school system which offered zero support, but instead only mistreatment. Liz demonstrates tremendous commitment to achievement knowing she has the capability to achieve what she sets out to do. She finds the right school for her, accelerates her student to graduate from high school faster than most while continuing to live on the streets. The reader grows with Liz and cheers her on as she applies for financial aid to subsidize college costs. She fights for acceptance to Harvard University and demonstrates the ability to make a better life for oneself.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Didn't think it was spectacular but still "if" all of it is true, pretty amazing what she went through.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Well-written autobiography that doesn't sugar coat the author's story of childhood neglect, abuse, and homelessness -- her challenges, successes, and transitions. I was left with the powerful image of this young woman's drive towards a successful future of her own making.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The author survives a harrowing childhood at the hands of parents who are incapable of providing even minimal care and protection. Her willingness and ability to share this story with the world is breathtaking. Her resilience and determine carry her through and out of this precarious life. Unfortunately her story is probably the exception rather than the rule. So many other children are suffering is the same or worse circumstances but are unable to find a path to a better life.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was a really good book to read. I can't believe what she had to live through and how she survived. I would recommend this book to others. It makes me thankful for what I had growing up and now.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Compelling
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I kind of put off reading this book because I don't like feeling manipulated emotionally by a story of adversity. Liz Murray tells her story without sentimentality or self pity and I am amazed and heartened by the resilience she demonstrates. I especially appreciated her honesty about her feelings and understandings. Very well written!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murray wrote an intriguing memoir, "Breaking Night." She is able to take you through the tragedies she experienced so that you are able to symphathize and experince her life from a safe distance. Often memoir will have me in tears. Murray had my emotions at bay but allowed me to experience her life leaving the book a bit wiser. The book was inspiring and will be onmy bookshelf at the high school I teach in. I hope to recommend the book to students in the future. I recommend the book to anyone who wants an inspirational story, who might want to know more about drug addiction, and those who enjoy memoir from lives of different backgrounds.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I was not sure of this book when I started it. As it happened, I was in the process of becomming a foster mom. I really found the book challenging emotionally, and very riveting. By the end of the story, I had a new view of the children and parents who are in the system - a new respect and sympathy.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a heart wrenching yet hopeful memoir by a young woman who somehow manages to overcome the horrors of her childhood to not only become a successful business woman and Harvard Grad but also forgive those who caused her such pain and sorrow. As far as the writing goes, I found the story to be plodding at times and would have liked things to move a little quicker. On the other hand, there wasn't a point where I found it easy to put the book down and I can't think of anything in the story that I would have left out. While the first 3/4 of the book felt a little too detailed, the last 1/4 felt a little rushed. I wanted more details about Liz's turnaround: how she managed to fit four years of high school into two years, what it was like to adapt to Harvard etc. But maybe that's the subject of another book. Overall, worth reading. I would especially recommend this to teens and young adults who have experienced similar obstacles and need a little bit of encouragement about their own ability to succeed.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a tough book to read but well worth it. The author's descriptions about drug addiction and the utter pain and misery it inflicts on children, families and communities will stick with you and the way she and her sister cope with hunger, neglect, and danger while basically raising themselves will have you on the edge of your seat. A must read for anyone who wonders why so many of our students are failing.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Breaking Night by Liz Murray is a disturbing memior of the life of a young girl who survived her junkie parents and life on the streets.Liz explains her daily life, where she practically raises herself in an unkept apartment with her detacted sister and reckless parents. Living from welfare check to welfare check, most of it being spent on cocaine-lack of food was always a concern. Liz was always made fun of at school, because of her unclean appearance and dirty clothes, she hated to go to school. Despite her parents lack of care, Liz still loved them very much and she took care of them more often than they took care of her needs. Liz clearly describes her day to day struggles to dodge truant officers, find food, take care of her drug and alcohol dependent, mentally ill mother and addict father. Eventually, Liz ends up on the street, bouncing from friends houses to stairwells, dependent on the kindness of friends for the very basics of living. After existing like this for most of her teenage years, a friend influences her to see that she can pull herself out of the only life she has ever known by returning to school. opting to get her diploma, Liz returns to an alternative high school, where the teachers treated her with respect and encouraged her in every way. Those caring, nonjudgmental teachers probably saved her life....Liz thrives under their attention. She becomes hungry for education, striving to do her very best. College becomes her next goal. Her new friends and these teachers encourage Liz to follow her dreams to a better life and she digs her way out of her dark childhood to a hopeful future.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If you liked the Glass Castle or Liar's Club, then you will love this novel by Liz Murray. Murray takes the reader through the rabbit hole and into her stranger than fiction tale of her journey from being the child of homeless and addicted parents to her acceptance at Harvard. Murray's memoir is filled with heartbreaking, insightful and compassionate observations about her childhood and adolescence. The narrative is well written and so compelling that it was hard to put down. A must read!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Reading this book is exactly like listening to her speak about her life- interesting with enough details to become attached to Liz but I get the idea she is protecting the audience and herself from over sharing.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book was amazing! As others have said, it was difficult to read what Liz Murray had to go through, especially as a child. I know there are so many other children out there with similar situations and it would be great for them to know about this book (although a lot are too young to even read this kind of literature.) I am in awe of Liz's strength and tenacity. After reading this book, I found myself feeling more positive of other life situations and how they can be overcome with the strength to forge ahead.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Breaking Night, by Liz Murray, is a moving memoir about a girl trying to find her place in the world while struggling through the few highs and numerous lows of a hard-knock life. Although it lacks the lyricism and poetic prose featured in memoirs by writers like Mary Karr, the story is compelling enough to keep the reader quickly turning the pages in anticipation of the end. With an atmospheric tint slightly reminiscent of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and an inspiring way of looking at how one makes a life for oneself, Breaking Night is definitely worth the read for any reader who is interested in memoirs.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Liz Murray's story is well known, popularized by the New York Times and the Lifetime Movie Homeless to Harvard. Her memoir, Breaking Night, fills in the gritty details and they are very difficult to read. Liz Murray was born to two heroin addicted parents. As one could guess the story goes from bad to worse with no money for food (as it goes towards drugs) the psychological problems of her mother, and the state always there waiting to send the children into a group home or with a foster family. Her mother also leaves her father for another man and Murray's life disintegrates. Many have compared this memoir with Jeanette Walls The Glass Castle, but I feel Murray's story has a better narrative flow and the descriptions all the more vivid and disturbing. From the description of lice in her hair, to blood splatters all over the apartment (even on the Wonderbread) from her parents’ addiction, to eating rotten food her desperation is acute. What is fascinating is watching her perspective change. When she realizes she may return to a group home, she decides to live on the streets instead. Her perspective changes and she realizes she is living her life day to day. Who can I stay with? Where can I eat? are always on her mind until she realizes she has no future. She must return to school so she can have a future, so that she doesn’t have the same life of her parents, people without options. It is also inspirational how she chose to pursue a High School Diploma instead of a GED even though she was a 17 year old dropout with only one credit to her name. To watch her learn about all the things she would have missed. Make no mistake, Murray is a very intelligent girl, but with no one to help her, to push her, and to guide her, that mind would have been wasted if not for her resolve. The story is inspirational and would serve as an excellent book for those who need to understand the value of education and how it gives one options. Options allow one to escape a cycle of poverty, options allow one to be anything they want to be, but it is hard work to keep those options open. Favorite Passages: They had no intention to hurt us. It wasn't as if they were running off during the daytime to be better parents to some other kids and then returning home at night to be awful to us. They simply did not have it in them to be the parents I wanted them to be. so how could I blame them?" p. 50 I admired how Kevin had found a way to do things on his own, how he looked at not having money--a situation that most people would see as fixed--as a challenge to overcome. What else wasn't set in stone? I wondered what other opportunities were out there for me" p. 90 Had I known when I left that there would be no going back, no returning to a roof over my head, I'm not sure I would have done it. After all, isn't that what really draws the line between childhood and adulthood, knowing that you are soley responsible for yourself? If so, then my childhood ended at fifteen" "It's not like we were those homeless people you saw pushing shopping wagons full of sad things like picture frames, electronic parts, and bags of clothing. Such obviously broken people that you could guess, just by looking, what it was that bent and broke to get them there. Compared to them we were still lucky, without whole lives that needed pushing carts or carrying in bags that kept busting open..." p.191