Prison Baby

by JIANG-STEIN, DEBORAH

• ISBN13: 9780807098103
• ISBN10: 0807098108
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2014-03-04
• Publisher: Beacon Press

Summary

A deeply personal and inspiring memoir recounting one woman’s struggles—beginning with her birth in prison—to find self-acceptance
 
Prison Baby is a revised and substantially expanded version of Deborah Jiang Stein’s self-published memoir, Even Tough Girls Wear Tutus. Even at twelve years old, Deborah, the adopted daughter of a progressive Jewish couple in Seattle, felt like an outsider. Her mixed Asian features set her apart from her white, well-intentioned parents who evaded questions about her past. But when she discovered a letter revealing the truth of her prison birth to a heroin-addicted mother—and that she spent the first year of life in prison—Deborah spiraled into emotional lockdown. For years she turned to drugs, violence, and crime as a way to cope with her grief. Ultimately, Deborah overcame the stigma, shame, and secrecy of her birth, and found peace by helping others—proving that redemption and acceptance are possible even from the darkest corners.

Author Biography

Deborah Jiang Stein is a national speaker, writer, and founder of The unPrison Project, a 501(c)3 nonprofit which serves to build public awareness about women and girls in prison and offers mentoring and life-skills programs for inmates.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE: The Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
CHAPTER TWO: Lucky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
CHAPTER THREE: River of Quiet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
CHAPTER FOUR: On the Edge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
CHAPTER FIVE: Duets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
CHAPTER SIX: From the Back of the Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
CHAPTER SEVEN: BFD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
CHAPTER EIGHT: On the Fast Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
CHAPTER NINE: Act Normal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
CHAPTER TEN: Gnawed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
CHAPTER ELEVEN: White-Knuckle Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
CHAPTER TWELVE: One More Secret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Weeping Mother . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Full Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: The Baby Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: Another Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: The Telegram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Yarn Toy—More Evidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120
CHAPTER NINETEEN: Less Afraid of the Dark Corners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
CHAPTER TWENTY: Blue Socks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: Return to the Veiled Lady . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: Curious and with Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: Freedom on the Inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: Then, This . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: Frozen in Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: Beautiful Uncertain World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171