Behind her Smile: A true story of physical and drug abuse and surviving against the odds

If you have never heard a story about children who get adopted while they are still toddlers, and the harrowing experiences that they go through in the hands of the people who adopt them, then you have picked the right book. This is my personal story about how I went from being my mom's daughter to being my grandmother's daughter while I was still a toddler. In this book, I narrate how I went through horror, pain, and shame in my grandmother's hands, culminating in being thrown out to the streets when I was only 12-years-old. What followed were years of drug abuse, crime, and multiple arrests. In the book, I also share how I gradually moved away from the streets and started building a life of my own, together with my beautiful children. Maria.