Marked From the Beginning
Description
She was marked from the beginning-by her skin, by her family, by the streets, and by wounds she never asked for.
Growing up in Los Angeles under strict religious rules, family conflict, and the constant pressure to be "perfect," Jess learned early how to survive. Vitiligo made her stand out. Childhood surgeries made her feel broken. The chaos inside her home made her grow up fast. And one violent night as a teenager changed her life forever.
In this raw and unfiltered memoir, Jess shares the story of a girl navigating trauma, identity, religion, and danger in a city where the streets watch everything. From bullying to medical struggles, from older men to abusive family dynamics, from the assault that nearly killed her to the silence she was forced to carry-every chapter reveals another piece of what she endured and overcame.
But this isn't a story about staying down.
It's a story about getting back up.
Marked From the Beginning: The First Wound is the first book in the Broken But Breathing memoir series-a powerful true account of survival, resilience, and the strength of a young girl who refused to stop breathing, even when everything around her tried to take her voice.
Unflinching. Heartbreaking. Hopeful.
This is the first wound.
The one that shaped everything that came next.