On the Reading Table - UGLY by Constance Briscoe

.........................................................................On a recent trip to Sydney, Australia I could not find ONE FABRIC SHOP - and in the few free weekend hours, I did try! I did, of course, locate a bookstore - actually two different ones, but that's another story.

Are you familiar with Constance Briscoe? According to her website, she "was called to the bar in 1983 and practices as a barrister. In 1996 Constance became a part time judge - one of the first black women to sit as a judge in the UK." In the book section of the department store David Jones, I saw "UGLY" an autobiography by Judge Briscoe. Here's what I read on the back cover:

"I handed my school photograph to my mother. She stared from the photograph to me. 'Lord, sweet Lord how come she so ugly. Ugly. Ugly' These cruel words are just the beginning. Constance's mother systematically abused her daughter, both physically and emotionally, throughout her childhood. Regularly beaten and starved, the child was so desperate she took herself off to Social Services and tried to get taken into care. When Constance was thirteen, her mother simply moved out, leaving her daughter to fend for herself: there was no gas, no electricity and no food....."

I bought the book. Have a look on Amazon UK - there's over 80 comments about it! And, a sequel coming out next year. This book is near the top of my reading stack. Have you heard of UGLY?