I Can't Believe I'm Not Dead
Here is a story of survival unlike any you’ve ever heard: Kendra Petty began life by enduring years of childhood abuse, culminating in a stunning breakout from a cult led by her own parents that nearly consumed her. She married a physically and emotionally abusive woman with a hidden drug habit. She successfully climbed the corporate ladder–only to discover she worked for an organized crime family. And after being diagnosed with breast cancer, she finally realized that the changes she needed to make could only be achieved by exploding the life she had deliberately created. But when her attempts put her in the crosshairs of organized crime, it would take every survival tactic she’d learned (and more) to avoid ending up dead. And that’s just the beginning.
Far from your typical “misery memoir,” here is a harrowing page-turner that is both an inspirational story of resilience, grit, and perseverance, as well as a jaw-dropping thriller that proves that some lives really are stranger than fiction.
Plot/Idea: 8 out of 10
Originality: 9 out of 10
Prose: 8 out of 10
Character/Execution: 9 out of 10
Overall: 8.50 out of 10
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: In I Can't Believe I'm Not Dead, Petty revisits her immensely difficult childhood, one marked by physical and psychological abuse, tragedy, and entrapment in her parents' religious cult. In a clear-eyed manner, she reflects on how these early experiences shape her later life, marked by toxic and dangerous romantic and professional relationships.
Prose: Petty's prose is measured, frank, and descriptive, with a light gallows humor providing levity, but in no way lessening the impact of her abuse and subsequent trauma.
Originality: The author's tumultuous lived experiences will fascinate and disturb readers. Petty openly addresses her victimization at the hands of her parents and others, while also accepting accountability for her own choices and actions.
Character/Execution: Ultimately, Petty provides an impactful message about resilience, the value of self-forgiveness, and a reminder to readers to value how far they have come rather than becoming moored in the past.
Date Submitted: January 10, 2024
