Battered Soul

The violence experienced by the author in this story include such extremes as her father attempting to kill her as an infant. While her mother was able to save her life, she could not shield her from the bloody violence her alcoholic husband caused every weekend. When she finally managed to leave the drunken idiot, they moved up north to Chicago, and their lives changed dramatically.

The author became a citywide champ diver and a Fred Astaire dance teacher. She went on to become a profession...