Girlbomb: A Halfway Homeless Memoir

From Strand Bookstore

When Janice Erlbaum's mother reunited with her abusive stepfather, Janice left her mother's house and became a part of New York's social welfare system. 'Girlbomb' is Janice's candid, poignant memoir, tracing her journey from security to homelessness to adolescent rebellion. With her stepfather finally out of the picture, Janice returned home, but she was unable to leave behind her substance-filled, sexually promiscuous lifestyle. And, at seventeen, Janice left home again and nearly died from a cocaine overdose. Compelling and unforgettable, this is the story of one woman's experiences, but it is also the story of a displaced generation of adolescents.

From the Publisher

A columnist describes her troubled adolescence as a runaway in New York City, explaining why she exchanged her home for a life on the city streets; her struggle to balance school, the shelter system, and the temptations of the street; and her eventual successful battle to rescue herself from street life.

Review

Kirkus online
"Vivid, painfully realistic coming-of-age memoir."

Review

Tara McKelvey - New York Times Book Review
"How satisfying to watch Erlbaum survive adolescence and produce a smart engaging book--A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG POTHEAD, you might say--that indicts those who wronged her yet never dissolves into tears or tantrums."

Review

Publishers Weekly
"Sharp yet poignant, raw and vivid, it illumines the dirty underside of American girlhood and brings it to harrowing life."

More about the book

Bust magazine columnist Janice Erlbaum writes candidly about her troubled adolescence in this searing memoir. When her abusive stepfather moved back into the apartment 15-year-old Janice shared with her mother and baby half-brother, she left for a shelter and then a group home, attempting to escape from the chaos and pain she experienced in both places by abusing drugs and engaging in meaningless sex.

Synopses

At 15, sick of her mom's spineless reactions to abusive men--and afraid of her stepfather's unpredictable behavior--Janice Erlbaum walked out of her family's apartment and never returned. From her first frightening night at a shelter, trying to sleep in a large room filled with yelling girls, Janice knew she was in over her head. She was beaten up, shaken down, and nearly stabbed--but it was still better than home. She was halfway homeless, one step away from being sent "upstate to Lockdown." Yet she continued to attend high school, harbor crushes, even play the lead in the spring production of Guys and Dolls. She also roamed the streets, clubs, bars, and parks of New York City with her two girlfriends, on the prowl for hard drugs and boys on skateboards. This is an unflinching look at street life, survival sex, female friendships, and first loves.--From publisher description.