The First 22 Years Are the Hardest: coming of age with a baby on the hip and hope for happily ever after by Angela Giles Klocke
By the time she is thirteen, Angela Giles Klocke has already learned what it means to survive sexual assault, child abuse, and poverty. What follows is a deeply honest survivor memoir about searching for love as a way out—and discovering the high cost of that hope.
When Angela meets Dewayne, she believes she has found her escape. Instead, the relationship slowly becomes a cycle of emotional and domestic abuse, stretching from her teenage years into adulthood and leaving her questioning her worth, her voice, and her future.
This true story of survival is not only about what was endured, but about what refused to disappear: hope. With courage, self-reflection, and resilience, Angela begins the difficult work of imagining life beyond abuse.
The First 22 Years Are the Hardest is a powerful memoir about overcoming abuse, written for survivors, advocates, and anyone seeking proof that healing after trauma is possible—even when the road forward feels impossible to see.
Content Warning: This book includes discussions of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse.