A PIECE OF CAKE

Cupcake Brown was dealt a horrendous hand in life. When she was 11, her mother died. Her "daddy" was not really her daddy, so she was placed with her biological father. He was looking for Social Security checks and insurance. So begins a life of violent foster care, alcoholism, drug abuse, prostitution, and gang-banging. At 25, after a four-day bender behind a dumpster, Cupcake begins the road to recovery (12 steps), goes to college, and even graduates from law school. Bahni Turpin's sensitive performance treads a fine line between depicting the seemingly endless downhill slide and maintaining a light enough touch to keep the listener engaged. Turpin deftly expresses a wide range of emotions--from outrage and misery to healing and optimism. A.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 08]