Two thousand minnows : a young girl''s story of separation, hope, and forgiveness

When Sandra Vaughan was seven years old, she fell into the role of protector of her mother and three younger siblings. One winter night, she ushered her mother out of the house during one of her father's tirades, and then snuck her back into the dark home through a window. Sandra was used to events like these; what she wasn't used to were the mountains and nature surrounding her new home in West Virginia. Raised in the city, it took some time to get used to the long, hot summer days and nights, but she soon found that the forests, rivers, and mountains were more secure and comforting than the house that held her abusive and volatile father. Catching minnows in the gentle river, riding on rope swings, and exploring the outdoors distracted her from what was waiting at home. But then, her mother became pregnant again, and Sandra's concern for her family and their well-being grew when her mother returned home from the hospital without the baby. In Two Thousand Minnows , Sandra reflects on the events of her childhood and adolescence, including the time spent traveling across the country with her anxious, worn out family in a small, cramped car. As Sandra grows older, she realizes that what they're chasing when they move from town to town—the perfect, stable life—cannot exist, at least for her, until she has the answers to all the questions she never asked. As an adult, Sandra decides to stop running from the past and instead revisit it, refusing to give up until she unearths the truth—and finds the sister who never came home. An "honest, compelling, and smart" memoir about growing up with an abusive father and the desperate search for a missing sister (Holly Goldberg Sloan, New York Times- bestselling author of Counting by 7s ). Raised in the city, it took Sandra some time to get used to her new home in West Virginia, but she soon found the forests, rivers, and mountains safer than the house that held her volatile father. Exploring the outdoors was a welcome distraction from the violence waiting at home. But then her mother became pregnant. And Sandra's concern for her family grew when her mother returned home from the hospital without a baby. In Two Thousand Minnows , Sandra reflects on the events of her childhood and adolescence, including the time spent traveling across the country with her anxious, worn-out family in a small, cramped car. As she grows older, she realizes that what they're chasing when they move from town to town--the perfect, stable life--could never exist for her until she found the answers to all the questions she never asked. As an adult, Sandra decides to stop running from the past and instead revisits it, refusing to give up until she unearths the truth--and finds the sister who never came home. "Like many stories of survival . . . it's likely to offer welcome comfort to readers who endured childhood traumas themselves." -- Publishers Weekly "One of the great literary discoveries of the year." --Holly Goldberg Sloan, New York Times -bestselling author of Counting by 7s "I stayed up late, caught up in this story of a West Virginia girl's search for a lost baby--and her own truest self." --Laura Cunningham, author of Sleeping Arrangements When Sandra Leigh was seven years old, she fell into the role of protector of her mother and three younger siblings. One winter night, she ushered her mother out of the house during one of her father’s tirades, and then snuck her back into the dark home through a window. Sandra was used to events like these; what she wasn’t used to were the mountains and nature surrounding her new home in West Virginia. Raised in the city, it took some time to get used to the long, hot summer days and nights, but she soon found that the forests, rivers, and mountains were more secure and comforting than the house that held her abusive and volatile father. Catching minnows in the gentle river, riding on rope swings, and exploring the outdoors distracted her from what was waiting at home. But then, her mother became pregnant again, and Sandra’s concern for her family and their well-being grew when her mother returned home from the hospital without the baby. In Two Thousand Minnows, Sandra reflects on the events of her childhood and adolescence, including the time spent traveling across the country with her anxious, worn out family in a small, cramped car. As Sandra grows older, she realizes that what they’re chasing when they move from town to town—the perfect, stable life—cannot exist, at least for her, until she has the answers to all the questions she never asked. As an adult, Sandra decides to stop running from the past and instead revisit it, refusing to give up until she unearths the truth—and finds the sister who never came home. Sandra Leigh, the oldest of three, was only seven when she protected her mother against her father's fury, helping her escape the house in the midst of winter, and then retrieving her through an open window. They had just moved to the isolated mountains of West Virginia to begin their new life. A city girl, Sandra became lost in the magic of the long, hot summer days full of discoveries, from rope swings to catching minnows in the clear river, all while navigating her abusive and unpredictable father. Then her mother, pregnant again, went to the hospital to give birth and returned without the baby. For the next ten years, her family traveled across the country from West Virginia to California and back again in search of stability, each destination holding out the promise of this time making it. As time passes, Sandra realizes that in chasing the dream, they are actually running from the truth--a truth that, with each new attempt at finding home, Sandra gradually comes closer to uncovering: the mystery of what really happened to the baby. In a memoir full of stunning honesty, which begins in her vibrant seven-year-old voice and matures throughout, Sandra brings us with her on her journey. In the end, with tremendous fortitude and bravery, she performs a true miracle--and the family secret is revealed