As a reader perusing this book, the words "gritty" and "painfully honest" came to my mind. But as a single mother of three daughters, who is also a recovering alcoholic, the phrase "been there, done that," resounded in my consciousness. There is much in the book for any single mother or recovering female addict to relate to, in kind, if not in the same quality or amount as Ms. Hall experienced in this autobiographical book.

Ms. Hall's writing style is direct and fast-paced. The reader feels an intimacy and immediancy with her and her story. She holds nothing back and lays before us her motherhood, her strong feministic beliefs and her sexuality. "there it is; learn from it, if you can", she seems to be saying. Her story takes place in the 1960's, and 1970's, the time of Vietnam, of the draft, of less sympathetic and enlightened child support laws. She joins the feministic movemont in San Diego because she realizes 'the systems' (i.e. the workplace, the courts, the schools, the military) do not serve women well.

After ending an emotionally abusive relationship with her husband, Ms. Hall struggles to care for her seven children. What she doesn't seem to do is care for herself. During her marriage, she relied on alcohol to balm the psychic wounds she feels. Now she is sober, but single. She believes at first, "All I had to do was take my freedom (from her husband)." but almost immediately, she is right up against the walls created by the systems. "I was wrong. I ran smack up against poverty and lack of a place in the male world. Freedom came to me in little pieces."

Ms. Hall is not unlike many women who find themselves single mothers. She has great difficulty looking within for her own emotional support. In former days 'that support' came from alcohol. Now she is on her own. As she tells her story, the reader can sense her internal fortitude, but she cannot. She looks to the male world for her sense of self, despite the fact that world's structures are abusive to her. She writes, ".....I wasn't at all sure a woman with seven children could survive with dignity without a man." As some women do in this situation, she uses sexual experiences to bolster her feelings of self-worth.

But she does survive and comes full circle into a meaningful and rewarding life. "The True Story of a Single Mother" is an engrossing account of one woman's journey to empowerment.

This book speaks the unvarnished truth about the lives of themillions of Americans who are caught up in the "povertytrap." More than a decade has passed since its first publication, but following President Clinton's recent handywork of dismantaliing the Welfare State (such as it was), the author's observations and experiences are more valuable than ever. Today, a new misery is being visited upon American society, and professional sociologists and historians have not yet developed adequate concepts to explain this phenomenon. They would do well to listen to the words of Ms. Hall, to better understand what it costs to grow up poor in America. This book is not of the "belles lettres" genre, which we so often expect of the "poverty pimps." Instead, it is a gut-wrenching confession of a single mother of seven children living on the West Coast in the fourth quarter of the twentieth century. For these reasons it constitutes a useful educational tool for any serious class in contemporary American Studies.

. Pay attention to detail and in that you might be quite amazed at the depth of Ms. Hall's pain of disclosure. Her gift of outright truthfull admissions is possibly the greatest gift for all who ever lived with anyone, with a skeleton in their closet. This is prevelant in almost all of our lives. This book does not go into a sensationalistic tabloid venue. It does give one a feeling of trueness, honesty and courage. Refreshing in this day and age. Ms. Hall is a woman with great insight, way before her time. I would love a sequel. How is life for her now. What does the "O", on the cover signify? As a Woman and Mother, I have my own ideas.