''A Piece of Cake: A Memoir'' is an autobiography by Cupcake Brown, published by

Crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

in 2006. The book describes Brown's descent into teenage

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

and drug addiction. Although doubt has been cast as to the veracity of events described in the memoir, Brown maintains that the events in the book are real.Valby, Karen
"Cupcake Brown wants a piece of James Frey: The ''A Piece of Cake'' author lets loose about how the Frey scandal could affect her new memoir,"
''EW'' (February 24, 2006).

Plot summary

The story begins in January 1975 when the female protagonist, born LaVetteMichelle Brown, gives a short account of why her mother named her Cupcake Brown. Brown's mother died in 1976, when Brown was age 11. Since her biological father only acquired custody because he wanted to receive social security checks, she and her brother were placed in a stranger's foster home, along with several other children. Their foster mother, Diane, forced them to clean her entire house every day and physically abused them if she wasn't satisfied. Diane's biological daughter, Connie, is also portrayed as sadistic, reportedly deriving pleasure from tormenting Brown and the other children who resided in the foster home. For example, she is quick to point out to Brown that she is the real (biological) child of Diane as opposed to being a foster child. Brown believes that Connie feels entitled to cause trouble for the foster children in any way that her cruel mind will allow because of her perceived higher familial status. Within days of arriving, Brown is

raped Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person w ...

by her foster mother's nephew, Pete. Brown provides a frank account of how Pete thrusts a glass of rum and coke into her hand, tells her to drink it and how "everything happened so fast" afterwards. Although the drink makes Brown feel very good at first, she proceeds to relate what she describes as being a nightmare. She also decides that since God took her mother away from her as well as allowed the rape to happen to her, then He must not like Brown very much. She then decides that she hates God. After months of unrelenting abuse, Brown runs away and ends up meeting a prostitute, Candy, who teaches her about life on the streets, including how to smoke marijuana, and introduces her to prostitution. Brown turns her first "trick" at age eleven. Her next foster father, under the guise of "cheerleading practice", traded her

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...

and

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

for

oral sex Oral sex, sometimes referred to as oral intercourse, is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a person by another person using the mouth (including the lips, tongue, or teeth). Cunnilingus is oral sex performed on the vu ...

. She later moved in with her great-aunt in

South-Central Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of downtown. It is defined on Los Angeles c ...

, where she joined a gang. She narrowly survived a shooting when she was 13, and left the gang. Later, a boyfriend teaches her how to freebase and introduces her to crack. Brown becomes what she calls a "trash-can junkie", indulging in as many drugs as she could find. When she woke up behind a dumpster one morning, scarcely dressed and possibly close to death, she admitted that she needed help. She then attends an addiction clinic, where she embarks upon her road to recovery, which is successful.

References

External links

Archive of the original ''San Diego Union-Tribune'' story, by Samuel Autman, about Cupcake Brown
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piece of Cake, A 2006 books American memoirs Memoirs about drugs Non-fiction books about American prostitution

Plot summary

See also

References

External links