Tina Smith

Scarred for Life Tina Smith

Tina was just eleven years old that day in 1980 when she returned home from school to find an empty house, her mother and siblings gone with no forwarding address. It was the day she lost her childhood. Tina was now alone, alone on the streets of a major metropolitan city as she struggled to find food, shelter, and safety. In this memoir, Tina recounts the story of her abandonment and the reality of her experiences, which included rape, deceit, and betrayal, even from close friends. Scarred for Life narrates Tina's story, along with her thoughts, feelings, and emotions as she tried to survive on the streets. She tells of sleeping in vacant houses and under porches and of scavenging for food in garbage cans. She shares the stories of those who tried to help her and those who wouldn't. Honest and shocking, Scarred for Life provides insight into the life of a little homeless girl and the horrors one can experience when living on the streets.