On a June night in 1980, the Linehan household in North Harbour went up in flames. In moments the fire consumed the family's ordinary, loving lives and innocent, human faith that life would always be as it was. Ida, the middle of three girls and one of ten siblings, survived the blaze only to endure weeks and months of treatment and recovery. Her only goal is to spare her family more pain, and she quietly promises herself never to quit and never to complain. She only wants life to be normal, but is that the same as being healed? In straightforward prose and an open-hearted manner, Ida Linehan paints a series of vivid, haunting pictures as she recounts a remarkable story.
“The book tackles a variety of serious issues such as loss, misogyny, grief, and bullying. I admire Ida for having the strength to share her story. Each chapter was authentically written.”
"Her heroic journey of surviving a deadly family home fire while enduring a painful physical recovery and mourning the death of five of her siblings was gut wrenching to read. But it also sparked a sense of hope, perseverance, and tenacity."