A breathtaking story about the strength and longevity of love. The strong message that appears in the beginning and throughout the book is one strong adult influence in your life can truly enrich you. The back in time imagery says we are taking a trip with an historical angle and describes the joys of growing up in Detroit during the 1950s and 1960s, with its wonder and excitement, as seen through the eyes of an awe-struck child. In this personal memoir, Cynthia vividly describes how she faced the immense challenges of her youth, including a parent with mental illness, the strength and heroism that came from her grandfather and the many ways this impacted her life. This is her true story about courage, devotion and love.Deeply grateful for her grandfather and his determination to meet the challenges he faced on a daily basis, he was a reassuring presence everyday and the author could count on his unfailing love as his perserverance was tested time after time. This autobiography, was written as a tribute to my grandfather and to help readers understand the many emotional pressures of my youth. This book is a testament to the positive influence I received as a result of the my grandfather's love, determination, perserverance, resiliency and faith in a higher power.Judge's Commentary for the 22nd Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards:"Excellent cover image along with the sepia shades. Author excels in historical details, especially the ones that create a sense of reality in earlier years, from the listing of television shows she remembers. And when the book ventures into history itself, we get a multi-faceted, realistic view of those times along with the lesson. Author has put a lot of time an effort into the historical details, and the reader appreciates the timestamp as well as the little-known details of those times. Author has a great talent for creating a sense of place, which creates a terrific foundation for the interactions among the characters. Each setting comes alive through the authors use of sensory details. Well done.Excellent physical descriptions of characters, such as Lillian's beige dress and gold photo pin. Author does an excellent job of sharing the details of her mothers illness, and explains well without circling the topic out of pain or fear the impact that this relationship has on her adult life and ability to connect with and depend on others. The movements and actions by her grandfather convey the message that the love and support you need might not always come from the person you expect to deliver them, but the examples here show that great love can come from another relative or person. Chapter 10 pm starts off strong with Lincoln's quote and then gets stronger from there, a highlight of this book and smartly delivering at the end of the story.So happy to see "The Help" quote, since it occurred to me that this book has a lot in common with that bestseller, including historical flair, character details, the cringes, the elation at character strength."