The Anger That Grew Me: A Memoir of Faith, Trauma, and Transformation

The Anger That Grew Me: A Memoir of Faith, Trauma, and Transformation

The Anger That Grew Me By Yolanda L. Washington-Pompey In 'The Anger That Grew Me', Yolanda L. Washington-Pompey delivers a raw, lyrical, and emotionally unflinching coming-of-age memoir wrapped in the bones of fiction. Set against the gritty backdrop of Detroit’s Brewster Projects in the 1970s and '80s, this story follows a young girl, Yolanda—called "Hoochy" by everyone who knew her—through the harrowing loss of her mother, the quiet abandonment by her father, and the suffocating silence of being unseen. Through Hoochy's wide, watchful eyes, we witness a world built on survival, where love is expressed through sharp words and stricter rules, and where pain is inherited like furniture, passed down and never questioned. Raised by a grandmother hardened by a life of toil and trauma and surrounded by siblings struggling with their own version of grief, Hoochy learns that silence is armor, and anger is home. As her world fractures—through funerals, relocations, and broken promises - Yolanda constructs an internal fortress from resentment and confusion. Her voice becomes a weapon forged in discipline, neglect, and yearning. But inside the cracks of that fortress, something else stirs: a small, stubborn hope that refuses to die, and a burning question that haunts her steps—*Why did God leave me behind?* Rich with vivid memories, rhythmic storytelling, and gut-punch honesty, this book explores the intersection of abandonment, identity, and generational pain. With each chapter, Yolanda peels back the layers of her name, her nickname, and the shadow of her mother, revealing not just the weight of her past—but the fire it birthed. 'The Anger That Grew Me' is not just a story of grief; it’s a story of voice—how one little girl, armed with nothing but broken bones, street games, Sunday School scriptures, and inherited fire, learns how to speak her own name in a world that keeps trying to silence her.