An honest and captivating memoir of the author's childhood struggles as a result of a brain tumor, only discovered following a near-fatal car accident.

All her life, Emily has felt different from other kids. Between therapist visits, sudden uncontrollable bursts of anger, and unexplained episodes of dizziness and loss of coordination, things have always felt not right. For years, her only escape was through the stories she'd craft about herself and the world around her. But it isn't until a near-fatal accident when she's twelve years old that Emily and her family discover the truth: a grapefruit sized benign brain tumor at the base of her skull.

In turns candid, angry, and beautiful, Emily Wing Smith's riveting memoir chronicles her struggles with both mental and physical disabilities during her childhood, the devastating accident that may have saved her life, and the means by which she coped with it all: writing.

"This incredible journey from an awkward childhood struggle through a brain tumor and near-fatal accident to published writer is heart-wrenching and inspiring. A must-read, especially for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider."--James Dashner, #1 bestselling author of the The Maze Runner series

"An extraordinary memoir about her life on the outside and how she found her way in." --Booklist

"Smith unapologetically and honestly delivers all the messy details of her hard-won life and, without striving for sympathy, draws readers firmly to her side to applaud her developing successes." --Publishers Weekly