Running in Slippers

By: Angie Hawkins

Narrated by: Angie Hawkins

Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Welcome to Running in Slippers, a humorous memoir about how Angie plummeted into despair after a failed relationship and the death of her father, taking you through the totally raw and vulnerable rollercoaster of severely misguided attempts to fill the voids, reading like a train wreck that you can't look away from.

Between social masks, social media facades, and the COVID pandemic, our society has become increasingly disconnected. Much of what we see in-person and online is profoundly filtered and edited. What we don't see are the everyday struggles and imperfections of real life.

We don't connect by being perfect. We connect by being real. It feels terrifying to allow our deepest, authentic selves to be seen, and possibly rejected, but that is exactly why she is doing it: to break out of the masks and encourage connection through vulnerability.

"Paula cheerily drops me off at the zoo, where I meet Hazel in hysterical sobs. We sit on a nearby bench. The irony of this is that the outside of the Honolulu Zoo is a popular congregation hot spot for a lot of mentally unstable, homeless people. Since I am in the middle of a hysterical, emotional breakdown, under the influence of drugs, barefoot, with two plastic hospital bags, and haven’t showered, brushed my teeth, or eaten in three days, I fit in perfectly. I ramble my story to Hazel, including how deliriously high I am. The thing about Hazel is that I don’t trust her."

©2022 Angie Hawkins (P)2023 Angie Hawkins

Negotiating Challenges of Life

In her memoir, Angie Hawkins details her journey through family, friends, love, heartbreak, and inner growth. Ms. Hawkins tells the story with her inner feelings about life’s messy parts and small victories relatable to readers. Angie’s parents’ relationship and expectations for their daughter are shared with vivid descriptions to the point one can smell the cigarette smoke of her father.

Readers will see and meet Angie’s friends and lovers as she learns trust is an earned element, never to be taken for granted. The conversations and situations told have touches of humor while illustrating the emotional blows to Angie’s self-esteem with her climb to stability. Angie shows that cherished individuals cultivated the resiliency born within herself.

Angie Hawkins tells her story in a clear voice while highlighting the elements of humor, sarcasm, fear, doubt, and awe in all the right places. There were no glitches or issues with the audio. Hearing the poignant story in the voice of the author makes it real.

Ms. Hawkins's susceptibilities, bravery, and learning permission to fight for herself are thought-provoking. The memoir leaves one with a sense of her embarking on the next phase of her life, knowing she will succeed. For Young Adult readers or listeners who want a real story from an individual who has fought for every bit of true happiness, Running in Slippers is for you.