Overview

"Growing up in Gloucester, Massachusetts, a quaint coastal town with a dark underbelly, Gail learned early on that some people mattered and some people didn't. As the child of a heroin addict, whose only ally was an aunt who brokered deals with men who liked to have sex with young girls, Gail was sure she didn't matter. Having often heard the phrase ""you don't rat"" while growing up, Gail never told. Instead, she developed an addiction of her own, and constantly worried people would find out the truth that she'd always believed about herself; she was worthless. After moving away from Gloucester in her early twenties, Gail became an attorney who continued to carry her secret shame. While representing people accused of crimes-people with the same struggles she'd known-Gail finally came to learn that everybody has value. The revelation gave her the courage to put down the drugs, fully embrace her history, and stop hiding."

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"""It would be hard to name a memoir whose author faced greater challenges or overcame them more triumphantly....Gail Brenner Nastasia tells her story with unblinking honesty and-rare for a person who might well have been embittered by her childhood experiences-compassion for the many adults who failed her along the way....She writes with quiet power. No one who reads The Fruit You'll Never See will ever forget it."" - Joyce Maynard, author of Labor Day, a New York Times best-seller, and several other books, including her latest novel, The Bird Hotel ""From the first sentence to the last word, Gail Brenner Nastasia presents the breathless chronicle of a closely examined life in all its aspects, including the perils of invisibility, the joy that comes from finally being seen, and the still, small voice that reflects one's truest self. The Fruit You'll Never See is a story of resilience, resistance, and, finally, redemption."" - Jabari Asim, poet, playwright, literary critic, and author of several books, including Yonder ""Gail Brenner Nastasia has had a truly singular life. Luckily for us, from it, she has crafted a truly singular memoir. The Fruit You'll Never See is a powerfully moving and inspiring story of love and perseverance against incalculable odds."" - Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, New York Times bestselling author of The Fact of a Body: A Murder & A Memoir ""The Fruit You'll Never See is a memoir about shame and overcoming negative messages from childhood....How she achieves her goals, learns different, healthier ways of interacting with her family, and maintains the equilibrium that truly reinforces her value makes for a powerful memoir that many readers will find inspirational and revealing....It ideally will be pursued in book club and psychological group discussions, as well as available for library patrons interested in vivid, candid stories of getting and staying clean."" - The Midwest Book Review"

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