Right before first grade, Liz Murray’s mother made sure she had notebook paper.

It’s what every concerned loving mother does, right?

And by “right before first grade,” I mean 11:30 at night before Liz’s first day.

Liz had been bugging her mother all week for help getting ready, “but she wouldn’t get out of bed.”

But on school night #1, Ma had just shot some cocaine into her veins and she was feeling fine. As for the notebook paper, Liz and her older sister found it in the basement dumpster of their apartment building.

You might see trouble ahead for Liz’s school career and you’d be right. You can read about her devoid-of-routine childhood in Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard.

Actually, the Murray household enjoyed a modicum of routine. Ma’s government check arrived every month. For the first few days, they had Happy Meals and movies, until Ma and Daddy spent the rest on drugs. After that, it was mayonnaise sandwiches, even Chapstick, and counting the days until the next Check Day.

A few years down the road, “routine” meant Ma’s stays in the mental hospital, after which Ma attended Narcotics Anonymous—for a few weeks anyway. And then came Check Day. All that money could be pretty tempting. Ma just wanted to feel good. So, so easy to run down the street (it was the Bronx, after all) and buy a dime bag.

Pretty soon, Liz never went to school at all. She tended to other important duties, like staying up late and watching for Ma and Daddy’s return from a night on the town, maybe calling 911 if they needed it. Or watching TV until Ma came home from the bars in the morning, covered in vomit and blood. Liz, playing the parent role, washed her mother off in the tub, dressed her in pajamas and put her to bed.

Given the subtitle of Murray’s book, I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by telling you that Liz eventually slept on stair landings and in subway cars.

Nor have I given away too much (see subtitle again) when I tell you she ended up at Harvard. I’ll bet you’re asking yourself right now: HOW???

You’re going to want to read that for yourself.

Homeless teen photo credit: USDA gov via Visual hunt / CC BY

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