Maddie and Grace meet in an adolescent psychiatric unit after each has committed desperate self-injurious acts in response to years of abuse, neglect, and chaos. Together they navigate the surreal world of their fellow patients while staff provide nurturance and guidance to support their healing journeys. With the help of veteran psychiatrist Mary Swenson, Maddie and Grace come to terms with their pasts and discover the inner fortitude they need to create futures filled with empowerment and hope.
Sue Boggio and Mare Pearl grew up together in Iowa and are retired after long careers in health care at the University of New Mexico.
"Maddie and Grace are hungry: for love, for hope, and for truth. The stories of their pasts will break your heart, but their bright-eyed hope and resilience will have you rooting for them until the very end."--T. Greenwood, author of Such a Pretty Girl
"Hungry Shoes is an emotional journey through the scar tissue of complicated lives. But the real feat pulled off by authors Boggio and Pearl is the impact on the reader, drawing us out of our cynicism, daring us to believe in humans again. A celebration of compassion, hard-earned wisdom, and the joy we can create."--Susan Henderson, author of The Flicker of Old Dreams: A Novel
"This gritty, sublimely well-written novel holds a mirror up to our unfair world and gives us back reasons to believe that answers do exist, that justice is possible, and that, with the help of gifted professionals, broken lives can be mended."--Sarah Bird, author of Last Dance on the Starlight Pier
