The Sky Isn't Visible from Here: A Memoir (P.S.) (Paperback)

~ Felicia C. Sullivan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Days before Felicia Sullivan graduated from college, her mother disappeared; she hasn't been heard from in more than twelve years. It was possibly the last betrayal her mother, a beautiful, volatile, deceitful drug addict, would add to those that built their relationship, which subjected Felicia to a nightmare childhood on the toughest streets of 1980s Brooklyn. Growing up in the close company of dealers, users, and a host of unsavory characters, Felicia became her mother's keeper at a shockingly young age—getting her to the hospital after her overdoses, enduring her cruelty and narcissistic rages, and accepting the abuse or indifference of numerous so-called stepfathers. Years later, damaged and ashamed of her past, Felicia invented a new, brutally hard-partying persona to show to the world: she became her mother.

Affecting, honest, and utterly extraordinary, The Sky Isn't Visible from Here is a book about secrets and forgiveness—the story of a young woman unraveling . . . and then putting her life back together again.

About the Author

Felicia C. Sullivan is a graduate of the Columbia University MFA program, a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee, and a Best American Essays notable. She is the founder of the critically acclaimed literary journal Small Spiral Notebook, and she lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061765325
• ISBN-13: 978-0061765322
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #555,529 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars not an easy read but well written autobiography, April 29, 2009

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is not an easy to read autobiography though extremely well written and poignant, as Felicia C. Sullivan bares her soul in a cautionary memoir. She lived poor in Brooklyn with her mom Rosina working in a series of diners while always being fired for stealing and through one boyfriend after another as Rosina stole to pay for her cocaine habit and changed boyfriends when they tired of her. Felicia did not fit in any of the zillion neighborhoods mom moved them to as her skin was to white. She escaped to Fordham University and just before she graduated mom vanished. However, the child is not far from the parent as Felicia fell into similar patterns with drink and cocaine even while succeeding in finance behind the facade of a fake history; that is until her behavior led to her firing. This is an excellent autobiography in which the author peels away the masks to reveal her most inner essence for audiences to see how far she has come from her nuclear bomb roots and how "habitually" easy it is for a person to fall back into self destructive behavior.

Harriet Klausner

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Wish I liked this book, August 1, 2009

By	I. Shamus (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I wish I liked this book because it is a woman's memoir of her drug addict mom (as well as her own addiction) however I just couldn't get into it. It was very difficult to read. On the one hand I was aware that it was "well written" and I could admire the writer for her obvious skills but when it came down to it... I never felt emotionally involved nor did it make me care about the writer despite the fact that she was "baring her soul". I felt detached reading this book and at one point just gave it up and put it down.