Running in Heels: A Memoir of Grit and Grace (New Book Club Edition)

by Mary A. Pérez, Ella Hearrean Ritchie (Editor)

Overview

Readers who praised this story of coming of age -- and coming into grace -- will love this new book club edition!

More than a memoir, this book is a promise of hope for anyone who was abandoned as a child, to anyone who woke up hungry and went to bed hungrier every day, for every wife who has loved a husband who left bruises on her heart and on her body.

Somewhere between stealing cold cuts from stray cats and watching a stranger leave her mother's bed after breaking in through their bedroom window, Mary figured out that her family was dirt poor. Worse than her empty stomach, she was hungry for acceptance and love. She thought she found it when her baby sister was born and she became her "mommy," taking care of her needs as best as she could at the age of seven. Then she had to say goodbye over a small white casket.

Mary's grandparents, first-generation immigrants from Puerto Rico, took her in and gave her a glimpse of faith and stability. For a brief, shining spell, she had a real home--until they decided that Mama needed her.

They may have been right, but Mama needed more than a little girl could give, and Mary lost her way again.

Just out of Juvy Hall, Mary found a knight in shining armor to take her away. She became a teenage bride to a man twice her age -- a man as deeply enslaved to booze as every stepdad she'd had as a child. She loved him anyway and wore the bruises he gave her, even when she tried to leave him to give their children a better life.

Despite her fear and loneliness, she never imagined it would take a gunshot in the middle of the night to teach her courage. She was even more surprised when her rediscovered faith paved the path to forgiveness after so many years of pain.

Running in Heels is an autobiography of the grit and grace that carried a young girl through the shadows of her mother's choices and on through an abusive marriage. Mary A. Pérez narrates an incredible story of survival in the face of hopelessness, and learning to forgive against all odds.

Now with "Questions and Topics for Discussion" for your book club!

"A heart-wrenching testament to perseverance in the face of constant physical and emotional violence. An honest portrait of abuse within two generations, chronicling the author's long and often painful journey to recover her life and her faith within a most difficult legacy." - Rita M. Gardner, author of "THE COCONUT LATITUDES: Secrets, Storms and Survival in the Caribbean"

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781944952051
Publisher:	Stellar Communications Houston
Publication date:	05/12/2016
Pages:	414
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.94(d)

About the Author

Born in the Bronx, raised in Miami, relocated to Houston - Mary is of Puerto Rican descent, a mother to four grown children, "Mimi" to a couple of gorgeous grandchildren, and happily married (the second time around) to a phenomenal man for twenty-two years. Mary A. Pérez is the author of "Running in Heels: A Memoir of Grit and Grace", her debut memoir of the turbulent and uncertain childhood she survived, unlike her sister. Mary was born to a Puerto Rican immigrant family in the Bronx of New York and moved to Miami, Florida in 1962. Her childhood story played out against the backdrop of constant social change which defined the 1960s and forever altered the landscape for future generations. With political tensions of the time raging during the Vietnam War, there was a personal war within Mary's own family dominating her life. Her future held little hope for a precious girl who lived through more traumas before her adult years than most live in a lifetime. As she cleaved to the Godly faith that her grandparents instilled in her at an early age, she still found the courage to persevere through her young adulthood seeking the peace and serenity they had shown her, though it continued to be an elusive ambition. As you get to know Mary in the pages of this moving story of hope and forgiveness, you will be overcome by the power of a grandparent's love for their granddaughter, a child's quiet understanding of God's path for her, and the way in which Mary turned a life of peril into a life of promise. This book will leave you with the undeniable power of faith, hope, and love. Mary began writing her memoirs in 2008 and continues to share her inspiring outlook with her writers group and fans through her blog. Her award-winning essays have appeared in La Respuesta and Sofrito for Your Soul. Mary A. Perez was born in the Bronx, raised in Miami, and now resides in Texas with her husband of nearly twenty years. Her award-winning essays have appeared in La Respuesta and Sofrito for Your Soul. This is her first book.

Table of Contents

Prologue
Chapter 1: Humbled Beginnings
Chapter 2: Heaven, Hell or Hoboken
Chapter 3: To Abuela's House We Go
Chapter 4: The Little Green Dress
Chapter 5: Bump in the Night
Chapter 6: The Crux of the Matter
Chapter 7: Big Brother
Chapter 8: My Daddy's House
Chapter 9: Growing Pains
Chapter 10: A Rock and a Hard Place
Chapter 11: To Live Again
Chapter 12: My Dark and Shining Knight
Chapter 13: Pipe Dreams
Chapter 14: Colorado's Bicentennial Adventure
Chapter 15: Combustion
Chapter 16: Motherhood
Chapter 17: Letters from Home
Chapter 18: A Day of Reckoning
Chapter 19: My Two Cents
Chapter 20: New York, New York
Chapter 21: My Guardian Angel
Chapter 22: Texas or Bust
Chapter 23: Let Go and Let God
Chapter 24: It's Official!
Chapter 25: And Then There Were Four
Chapter 26: Good as Gold
Chapter 27: No Guts, No Glory
Chapter 28: Oh, Brother!
Chapter 29: Gone, but Not Forgotten
Chapter 30: Running in Heels
Chapter 31: My Grit, His Grace
Chapter 32: Into the Shark Tank
Chapter 33: Boy, Oh Boy!
Chapter 34: On Borrowed Time
Chapter 35: Mrs. C
Chapter 36: From the Inside Out
Chapter 37: Transition
Chapter 38: Mama Mia
Chapter 39: Happy Birthday!
Chapter 40: Storms Strike
Chapter 41: This Too Shall Pass
Chapter 42: The Catch
Chapter 43: Full Circle
Chapter 44: A Leaf in the Wind
Chapter 45: The Best for Last
Epilogue
About the Author
Dear Reader
Questions and Topics for Discussion

Editorial Reviews

"I honestly believed Nicholas Sparks was the only author who would make me cry . . . but along came Running in Heels that within a few pages had tears running down my cheeks. I literally devoured this book." - Silvia Martinez

"A universal tale written with clarity and elegance. An honest, open and blameless account that is highly recommended for book groups and faith groups." - Charli Mills

"This story stays with you long after you turn the last page." - K. Nelson

"You cannot simply read this book; it must be gobbled. It should be required reading for high school students. Drug and alcohol abuse harms not only the addict and the people who love them, but also the little lives they bring into the world." - KAN

"The end of story irony blew me away. Who could be that forgiving? Mary could! From the depths to the triumphs, Mary A. Pérez had me from hello." - Lynne Gregg

"Stunning! Riveting. Raw. The story will break open your heart with Mary's vulnerability and strength. There are few people that could come out of the darkness like she did. The fact that this isn't fiction is mind blowing. This is a life preserver for anyone experiencing similar circumstances." - Boymama

"Mary's book is exceptionally well written, never allowing for boredom! It's a classic, must-read story of redemption for women and teenage girls who wish to avoid or recover from similar heartache. Well done, Mary Perez!" - Rhonda Tarver

"The moment I started it, I had echoes of The Glass Castle. This is recommended for anyone who loved Walls' memoirs, as they have some strong parallels." - Kath Cross

"This book was my book club's read this month. Wonderful story about determination, forgiveness, spirituality, and fulfillment. I purchased two more copies as gifts." - Amazon Customer
"This could have been anyone's story. It's relatable, emotional, and raw." - KGR

"Cunning and deeply profound tale of strength and hardship. The reader will see Mary's pain and struggles while taking a seedy tour of America's history. Generally well-written and soulful, this is a raw and colorful piece of art." - Celia

"Gripping story and superb writing. This book will make you grateful for the life you have as you walk through the pain and heartbreak that Mary went through. You will be moved."
- Howard Partridge, CEO Phenomenal Products, motivational speaker & business coach

"Enthralling. I found myself staying up late into the night because I just had to know what the next page would bring. You feel the heartbreak of a little girl, the turmoil of a troubled young woman, and the peace and beauty of the woman she grows into." - LoveBug1987

"A lesson of dignity! An engrossing story with a gutsy protagonist who battles adversity." - Penelope James

"A heart-wrenching testament to perseverance in the face of constant physical and emotional violence. An honest portrait of abuse within two generations, chronicling the author's long and often painful journey to recover her life and her faith within a most difficult legacy." - Rita M. Gardner, author of "THE COCONUT LATITUDES: Secrets, Storms and Survival in the Caribbean"

From the Publisher