A Piece of Cake

Cupcake is the protagonist of this heartbreaking real tale, which starts when she is abandoned at the age of eleven and sent to cruel foster parents. But at some point in her teenage years—possibly the night she attempts to flee for the first time and is introduced to drugs, alcohol, and sex—Cupcake's narrative turns from a heartbreaking tragedy to a sinister, very unsettling voyage through hell.

Hiking up and down the California coast, Cupcake learned to live by pulling pranks, downing strong whiskey, and consuming whatever drug she could find. She slipped into the dangerous world of gangsters at the age of sixteen, where she hustled, dealt narcotics, and just avoided being shot in a drive-by. Strangely, Cupcake's quick plunge into the terrible world of crack cocaine addiction was ultimately what kept her alive. She awoke after a four-day crack binge beneath a trash. Half-dead and half-dressed, she eventually understood she had to make a difference in her life or risk becoming just another depressing statistic—a trash-can junkie who died on the streets.

Cupcake's life was remarkably transformed, and here is her candid, hilarious, and shocking tale. A Piece of Cake is unlike any book you have ever read; it is a compelling story of a strong-willed person who faced the worst aspects of modern metropolitan living and overcame it. It's also the most authentically moving rollercoaster journey you will ever experience through hell and back.