Redeemed: A Memoir of a Stolen Childhood

(Paperback)

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Penny is just four years old when she is snatched away from her all-American home by the Hungarian father who abandoned her when she was a baby. After facing isolation and neglect in a strange, dysfunctional household where heartache, rejection, and physical abuse rule her life, she escapesonly to find herself in a relationship with a man whos just converted to fundamentalist Christianity. Pennys road is long, winding, and often painful, but gradually she begins to listen to her inner voice, stand up for herself, and refuse to bow to the pressures of either her family or societyfreeing herself to build a life on her own terms and find her way to happiness.

A rise-from-the-ashes heros story of overcoming abuse, trauma, and unbearable odds, of being waylaid by both family and religions promise of love, and harnessing the resilience to find the way home, Redeemed offers a rare window into Eastern European immigrant culture and reads like a page-turning thriller. Especially relevant todaya time when marginalized people are increasingly finding a voicethis memoir will serve as an inspiration to women everywhere, encouraging them to overcome their obstacles and go after their dreams.

Reviews

"With unflinching honesty and raw vulnerability, this memoir offers a powerful message of hope and healing. The author's journey from victim to victor is a testament to the power of determination and our will to be happy. I was spellbound."
--Julian Guthrie, New York Times best-selling author of Alpha Girls

"A remarkably assured debut. Your heart will ache for the author of this rise-from-the-ashes memoir as you compulsively turn each page, but you'll never stop rooting for her to come out on top."
--By John J. Geoghegan, best-selling author of Hear Today, Gone Tomorrow

"Written like a thriller, told by a truth-teller, The Hungarian Girl presents an intimate portrait of a woman's survival from a traumatized and abusive immigrant family to the underbelly of American cults into freedom and awareness. Penny's honesty and pragmatic storytelling allows us to follow the facts of this twisted story and cheer for her when she finally becomes free. From this very unique story, we can feel the harrowing effects war has on generations--and how it takes lifetimes and a courageous spirit to rise above."
--Rebecca Woolf, author of All of This: A Memoir of Death and Desire

Author Bio

Penny Lane is a writer, wife, mother, and friend with an insatiable passion for life. Originally from Jackson Heights, Queens, she loves being outdoors--cycling, hiking, traveling, and connecting to, and inspiring people. She has a BS in business and management from the University of Phoenix and an MA in industrial/organizational psychology from Golden Gate University. In her spare time, she helps underserved youth learn to read, apply to college, and find jobs once they graduate, and in food pantries and other non-profits near her home in Mill Valley, California.