Breaking Night | A

Liz Murray is not a world-acclaimed author, nor has she written dozens of books. But despite lacking those credentials, Murray delivers a story that well deserves to be a part of any bestsellers list. With Breaking Night (Sept. 2010), Murray tells a captivating tale about a subject she knows a great deal about — her own life.

In her memoir, Murray takes you on a journey through her struggles, starting from the time she was born, with her father in jail at the time, up to where she is today as a motivational speaker who travels to a wide variety of countries delivering speeches.

The story opens up with a prologue with Murray in her teenage years talking about her mother, whom she thinks about often. At the start of the first chapter, she switches gears and goes back to her childhood where she speaks of growing up in a home where drugs were more important than food. She chronicles growing up on the streets of the Bronx, dealing with absent parents, severe money troubles, bad relationships and much more.

Somehow in the midst of all of these tough situations, Murray finds the strength within herself to build a better future. With sheer determination and a bit of good fortune, she makes a new home for herself at Harvard and enters finally into that exclusive world of the privileged.

The most difficult transition from her destitute childhood to her successful adult life was the psychological change, and Murray does not sugarcoat that. She talks about times of having to choose between a warm bed and walking out into an world divided by a self-imposed wall that separated her from the people with jobs and organized lives. It's hard not to root for her and experience her epiphany when she feels the wall between herself and "those people" crumbling.

Breaking Night is without a doubt worth reading. This book may follow the rag-to-riches formula but it has a stark, gritty and honest feel that will leave you reading it for hours. More importantly, it's an amazing story about a woman who was able to make it through her troubles and achieve her elusive dreams. If you're looking to get inspired and motivated, be sure to pick this book up.