Growing Up In Ferguson, Missouri: A Memoir of Insight and Personal Growth

When Anne Omaly and her family moved to Ferguson, Missouri, in 1956 it was a quiet, “old soul” sort of town. The children walked to school, played four-square under the street light, rode bikes, and skated down the long hill. In Growing Up in Ferguson, Missouri., she shares a host of personal memories including stories about her ancestors, her extended family, and her life growing up in Missouri.

In this memoir, Omaly chronicles the high and lows of her life including childhood experiences with race and bullying, her parents’ divorce, struggles with addiction to drugs and alcohol, rape, an unplanned pregnancy, and dealing with cancer in the family. But she also tells how with God’s grace she was able to persevere and triumph with her own family.

With photos included, Growing Up in Ferguson, Missouri. overlays personal stories with commentary about broader issues such as violence, addiction, aging, forgiveness, and parenting.