My Mother Called Me Beautiful (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798378612475)

Irene Hampton is a young black girl who has her whole life in front of her. At 18 years old, she had to grow up pretty fast but everything finally seems to be falling into place. With a coveted academic scholarship to Duke University, the perfect boyfriend, and the opportunity for a fresh start after the death of her mother, the path to her successful life is well underway.

Then the unspeakable happens when Irene's boyfriend, Malcolm, is falsely accused and arrested for a crime he was provoked to commit. This sends Irene's life into a tailspin and what she thinks is her opportunity for a fresh start begins to crash and burn right before her eyes, jeopardizing the lives of everyone connected to her.

With the help of her siblings, Abby and John, her sister-in-law Jada, and her best friend Grace, Irene finds the strength to live her life on life's terms and learns some valuable life lessons in the process; i.e. forgiveness is the most powerful tool ever given to man, sometimes things really do work out in the end, and, most importantly, that love does conquer all.