Sissy B. Smith Crack in the Family

Annotation

A Crack in the Family presents the story of author Sissy Smiths life, examining her role not only as narcotic abuser but also an enabler. It traces a journey through the tragic world of the crack cocaine epidemic in America, exploring family, sex, drugs, and love. Born in 1951, Sissy chronicles the important changes and events in her life set against the backdrop of historical events of the time. She was the fourth born of twelve children; she had three sisters and eight brothers. Shy and withdrawn as a child, she was slow to develop friendships. In 1971, she turned twenty and her life in the fast lane began; in that same year, Bridge over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel won Record of the Year and All in the Family debuted on CBS. The life story told in A Crack in the Family holds that determination and perseverance can overcome any roadblock in ones short lifetime, that everyone should face lifes challenges one day at a time, and that the choices we make early in our lives determine the development of our outcomes down the road.