Ain't That Right, Tina?: A Search for the Truth About My Family

When Tina Andreini was five years old, her beloved grandfather gave her a doll for Christmas. Her mother Joan let Tina play with it for a few days, then gave it away to a child in the neighborhood. It was the first time Tina realized there was something quite strange about Joan.

At the heart of this compelling memoir is the absence of a normal life anchored by a nurturing mother. In one year alone, Joan moved Tina and her siblings at least a dozen times all over the country, manipulating a...