Sandra Lee Richards – memoir author

hello and welcome to my website!

I am pleased to announce the publication of my book…

If mothers could choose their kids before they were born, knowing what they’d look like and who they would become, my mother would’ve never chosen me. Never in a million years. I was that bad. Or so she’d say. Poor Marge. She didn’t deserve having to raise a daughter like me.

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I am Sandra Lee Richards, author of my recently published memoir ...A DAUGHTER LIKE YOU.  It is now available in Amazon Kindle or paperback format. Click here to get your copy!

I began writing my story over ten years ago, although I have to admit, dredging up the memories of my childhood became so daunting at times, I had to set it aside. Months, then years passed by. However, with the support of my family and friends, as well as participating in memoir-writing workshops, my goal to finish my book has been accomplished.

My book would resonate with those, from Baby Boomers to Young Adults, who've had a narcissist in their life. Focused on getting my memoir out into the world, my hope is that it will help others to realize peace and happiness can be theirs too. I'd like to reach the people who felt or currently feel like I once felt. Afraid. Powerless. 

It would also be of interest to those who enjoy reading an emotionally charged true-life story that is so unhinged, it reads a bit like fiction.

…A DAUGHTER LIKE YOU

Set in southeast Michigan in the 1950s/60s, ...A DAUGHTER LIKE YOU is a story of me and my mother, Marge. As the second oldest of her five kids, I was her least favorite. The albatross. The one who made her life a "living hell," and then some. Or so she'd often remind me.

Now be prepared to hold onto your hats...it’s going to be a bumpy ride as there was a whole lot of screaming and swearing going on back then!

If I had to describe Marge in one word, it'd be volatile. Her anger surfaced with lightning speed; a torrent of vile words spewing effortlessly and often. It was akin to a land-mine; one wrong step, one wrong move or one wrong word would set off an explosion of hateful obscenities; words meant to break your heart and weaken you into submission.

I'm not certain whether I'd been born into it or maybe it came about over time, but I emerged as the main target of her fury; the proverbial scapegoat. A part of it was me looking "too Polish" like my father, with my blond hair and fair skin, which by the time I was born, Marge viewed anyone who was Polish with distaste. I suppose the other part was just me being me.

Deemed as the “goddamned son-of-a-bitchin’ little bastard,” I was also known as the disgusting, embarrassing, disrespectful, lame-brained, good-for-nothing liar. Okay sure, I made some childish mistakes and maybe I was a bit spunky and outspoken during my younger years, but still, I tried my darnedest to be worthy of my mother’s love. Unfortunately, not only did I never earn that elusive love, as I grew older, things only became worse. And I’m not lying about that!

Interested in reading more? Check out the Book Sample for a sneak preview and the Photos page to put faces to names.