Broken Things Still Bloom

<p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)>Broken Things Still Bloom is an authentic memoir of resilience memory and </span><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)>Black girlhood</strong><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)> in </span><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)>West Baltimore</strong><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)> during the </span><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)>1970s and 1980s</strong><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)>. Chanel Robinson came of age in the Gilmor Homes a </span><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)>public housing</strong><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)> project where childhood was shaped by both </span><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)>community strength</strong><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)> and systemic struggle.</span></p><p></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)>Born to a teen mother Chanel grew up surrounded by the energy of soul music front-porch friendships and neighborhood traditions. But she was also shadowed by addiction domestic violence and family secrets. Her life was marked early by </span><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)>childhood trauma</strong><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)> including </span><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)>sexual abuse</strong><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)> and by the expectation that she become caretaker protector and survivor far too soon.</span></p><p></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)>Through vivid storytelling Chanel reflects on the complexities of </span><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)>single-mother households</strong><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)> </span><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)>Black family history</strong><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)> and cycles of pain that often go unspoken. She recalls the women who raised her who were loving loud exhausted and faithful. She also reflects on quiet moments of clarity that shaped her: a teacher who gave her a kitten the comfort of writing the joy of becoming a mother and the first time she said no and claimed her body as her own.</span></p><p></p><p><em style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)>Broken Things Still Bloom</em><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)> is a testament to </span><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)>generational resilience</strong><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)> and the emotional strength required to grow something whole in the aftermath of brokenness. It honors the complexity of women's voices especially those who have been silenced overlooked or misunderstood.</span></p><p></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(34 34 34 1)>For readers drawn to narratives that uplift the lived experiences of Black women Chanel Robinson's debut is unflinching and urgently necessary.</span></p><p></p>