SHATTERED PIECES EVERYWHERE

A debut memoir of difficulties before and after a major car accident.

Martinez writes that she experienced poverty and dislocation as a child in the 1980s. Her mother often moved her and her two siblings, looking for job opportunities and to escape what the author describes as an abusive relationship with her father. They lived in various locations in California, Louisiana, and Illinois; Martinez frequently felt like an outsider, and she was too shy to publicly share her singing talent. After her mother remarried, settled down in San Antonio, and started a business,the author found more of a sense of stability; she graduated from high school, had a steady boyfriend, and started college. In 1998, when she was 19, she was involved in a car crash that left her with broken bones and severe injuries to her face. She was in the hospital for 19 days and in a wheelchair for six months; she also had multiple surgeries. Martinez writes that she had a great deal of support from her family and boyfriend, which she found she needed to overcome depression and, as she puts it, “choose life.” As she recovered, she rediscovered her love of singing, which she says helped her to heal emotionally. Over the course of this book, Martinez offers a touching story. She shows herself to be a thoughtful observer of various aspects of her life, and she relatably laments people’s reactions to her appearance that made her feel “as if I looked like a monster.” Throughout, her description of her relationship with her facial scars is accessible and poignant: “I have come to realize the relationship I have with my scars is like an arranged marriage: rather than a passion-filled romance from the start; I have grown to love them and, in turn, love myself. I might not have picked them from the start, but I was growing comfortable living with them.” She also effectively notes how discussions with various people in her life helped her to round out the story.

A remembrance that offers a reminder of the ways that trauma can affect one’s life and values.