BLIND PONY: As True A Story As I Can Tell

by Samantha Hart

Overview

WINNER of the 2021 Los Angeles Book Festival Wild Card

WINNER of the 2021 New York Book Festival Wild Card

WINNER Booklife Quarter Finalist

"A spectacularly written memoir about the impact of cycles of abuse and dependence, Samantha Hart's Blind Pony is an intelligent exploration of both runaway teenage years and the ephemeral nature of truth."

• BookLife Quarter Finalist

"BLIND PONY is a memoir about overcoming-about facing up to and learning from one's past without being imprisoned by it."

- David Herman for IndieReader

"Hart's powerful debut, a gritty memoir rife with graphic details of abuse and triumph over it, will break hearts." - Publisher's Weekly

"A spectacularly written memoir about the impact of cycles of abuse and dependence, Samantha Hart's Blind Pony is an intelligent exploration of both runaway teenage years and the ephemeral nature of truth." - BookLife Prize

A gripping memoir of resilience and self-discovery, Blind Pony chronicles the extraordinary journey of Pam Butter, a runaway teen who transforms into Samantha Hart while navigating the treacherous landscape of 1970s Los Angeles. Escaping an abusive home life on her Pennsylvania family farm, 14-year-old Pam embarks on a cross-country search for her estranged father, only to find that the lights of Hollywood hide shadows far darker than she imagined.

Desperate to outrun her past, Pam plunges into a world of drugs, decadence, and wealth, where a chance encounter with a wealthy playboy sets her life spinning in a new direction. Mistaking her Pittsburgh accent for British, he unwittingly gives birth to a new identity, propelling Pam into a whirlwind of international adventures, champagne parties, and sexual explorations. With a portfolio of nude photos and an unbreakable spirit, she is determined to make her mark on the world as Samantha Hart.

Blind Pony is more than just a tale of survival; it is a testament to the power of perseverance and the indomitable human spirit. As Samantha navigates the precarious terrain of her new life, she grapples with the ultimate question: Will she succumb to the temptation to give up, or will she rise above the circumstances life has dealt her and seize the reins of her destiny?

This poignant memoir vividly portrays a young woman's unwillingness to accept the hand she was dealt and her unyielding pursuit of success beyond her wildest dreams.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781649702289
Publisher:	Wild Bill Creative, Inc.
Publication date:	03/15/2021
Series:	Samantha Hart
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	344
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

.Samantha Hart found her calling in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, holding numerous high profile positions in music, film, and advertising, as a senior creative executive. She has won awards for creative direction, copywriting, and design.She lives in Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

Preface

1 A Farewell To The Farm

2 An Accidental Meeting

3 The Road to Shangri-La.

4 Princess

5 Return to Sender

6 Old Coins

7 Pink Platform Shoes

8 Rumi Told Me

9 Get Me Pam Butter

10 A Seismic Shift

11 In Cold Blood

12 Crossroads of the World

13 London Calling

14 Traa Dy Llooar

15 Hatching a Plan

16 European Tour

17 A Strange Affair

18 Mais Oui!

19 Meeting a Devil

20 A Girl Named Sam

21 Waking Up In Woodstock

22 Coming Clean

23 Samantha Song

24 The Mystic Bums

25 Purpose Priorities and Perfume

26 Vignette Noelle

27 The Hart Family

28 Judgment Day

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

"Hart's powerful debut, a gritty memoir rife with graphic details of abuse and triumph over it, will break hearts.

Readers will be flabbergasted by Hart's tenacious survival instincts.A lesser spirit would have given up early on, but Hart admirably soldiered forward. Hart's incredible resilience and courage will captivate anyone who reads her words. Her rise to top roles in the advertising game and in Hollywood is nothing short of an amazing reinvention. Unforgettable and raw, Hart's deeply honest musings will ring true to all abuse survivors and those who want to understand what it's like to walk through fire." --Publisher's Weekly/Book Life

"A harrowing and engrossing account of a young woman's difficult journey. Hart is a gifted storyteller, and sometimes these engaging tales of traveling the world and mingling with the rich and famous seem like something out of a celebrity biopic. The book is ultimately inspirational..." - Kirkus Review

Great for fans of Mackenzie Phillips's High on Arrival, Jeannette Walls's The Glass Castle, Dorothy Allison's Bastard out of Carolina. - --Publisher's Weekly/Book Life

"Samantha Hart's memoir BLIND PONY features polished, fluent writing and offers a gripping account of how she overcame a traumatic childhood and difficult young adulthood to establish a secure and loving home for her daughter. The narrative ends just as Hart achieves personal and financial independence.., BLIND PONY is a memoir about overcoming-about facing up to and learning from one's past without being imprisoned by it." - David Herman for IndieReader

"In all the year's I knew and worked with Sam, I had no idea of the obstacles she overcame in her childhood and teenage years. Sam exudes positivity and is one of the strongest people I know. I am so proud of her writing this book. It's a page turner." - Claudia Gray/Former Colleague/Universal Pictures

"A powerful coming of age story under impossible circumstances, Samantha Hart writes movingly of finding her strength through rebellion, recovery, forgiveness, and moving forward." Jill Watts/Bestselling Author/Professor of Graduate Studies, CSU

"Sam's writing is exquisite and made me feel I was living this journey with her...I laughed out loud more than once." -Ann Haugen/Music Producer

From the Publisher

2020-08-20
A debut memoir tells the story of a teenager trying to escape a life of exploitation and find herself.

Hart’s troubles started when she was 5 years old. Her mother had left her husband, taking her five daughters to live on her parents’ farm in rural Pennsylvania. According to Hart, her grandfather sexually abused her repeatedly, trying to hide the horrific deeds from the rest of the family. He was caught in the act by the author’s mother, who ignored it. Hart decided she would have to fend for herself and headed to Arizona to live with her father, “Wild Bill,” whom she had idealized in his absence. But he had started a new family, and Hart would not be a part of it. The cycle of abuse continued as she fled Arizona for Los Angeles after a pimp tried to recruit her. She found herself hooked on drugs and abused by a string of men trying to keep her as a sex object. But along the way, she discovered assets and talents. Eventually, she realized she had inherited her father’s ability to bluff his way through sales and that she was good at prepping a store for presentations. She did some modeling, and that led her to different jobs as a stylist for adult photo shoots. Hart followed a photographer named Eugene to England and wound up traveling around Europe, selling adult photo sets to publishers. At one point, she became a backgammon hustler in Los Angeles, something readers likely won’t find in many memoirs. Most of this happened before she turned 20. What pulls the story along is that each time the exploitation cycle repeated, Hart seemed to get a little closer to relying on her own strengths and finally becoming independent. The drugs, the lure of glamour, and just bad decision-making kept getting in the way. Hart is a gifted storyteller, and sometimes these engaging tales of traveling the world and mingling with the rich and famous seem like something out of a celebrity biopic (perhaps why she subtitled her work). The book is ultimately inspirational, but readers have to see the author go through a wringer to get there.

A harrowing and engrossing account of a young woman’s difficult journey.

Kirkus Reviews