The sharp and surprising true story of a woman who finally sets out to understand her past, and the mother she had one day hoped to forget. Full of unexpected twists and unbelievable revelations, American Daughter is an immersive memoir that will have you on the edge of your seat to the very last page.


For years, Stephanie Plymale, successful CEO and interior designer, kepther past a fiercely guarded secret. Only her husband knew that herchildhood was fraught with every imaginable hardship: neglect, hunger, poverty,homelessness, truancy, foster homes, a harrowing lack of medical care, andworse. Stephanie, in turn, knew very little about the past of her mother, whowas in and out of jails and psych wards for most of Stephanie's formativeyears. All this changed when a series of shocking revelations forced Stephanieto revisit her tortured past and revise the meaning of every aspect of hercompromised childhood.

American Daughter isthe extraordinary true story of a young girl growing up on the wrong side ofthe American Dream. Stephanie has slept in blankets on the floor of crowdedapartments, lived in the back seat of a car with her siblings, and spentdecades looking over her shoulder at a mother who might just as easily hug orharm her. American Daughter is at once a moving account of a troubledmother-daughter relationship and a meditation on resilience, transcendence, andultimately, redemption.