American Daughter
A Memoir
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo first 3 months
Buy Now for $31.46
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Mozhan Marno
-
Written by:
-
Stephanie Thornton Plymale
-
Elissa Wald
About this listen
The sharp and surprising true story of a woman who finally sets out to understand her past, and the mother she had one day hoped to forget. Full of unexpected twists and unbelievable revelations, American Daughter is an immersive memoir that will have you on the edge of your seat to the very last minute.
For years, Stephanie Plymale, successful CEO and interior designer, kept her past a fiercely guarded secret. Only her husband knew that her childhood was fraught with every imaginable hardship: neglect, hunger, poverty, homelessness, truancy, foster homes, a harrowing lack of medical care, and worse. Stephanie, in turn, knew very little about the past of her mother, who was in and out of jails and psych wards for most of Stephanie's formative years. All this changed when a series of shocking revelations forced Stephanie to revisit her tortured past and revise the meaning of every aspect of her compromised childhood.
American Daughter is the extraordinary true story of a young girl growing up on the wrong side of the American Dream. Stephanie has slept in blankets on the floor of crowded apartments, lived in the back seat of a car with her siblings, and spent decades looking over her shoulder at a mother who might just as easily hug or harm her. American Daughter is at once a moving account of a troubled mother-daughter relationship and a meditation on resilience, transcendence, and ultimately, redemption.
©2021 Stephanie Thornton Plymale (P)2021 HarperCollins PublishersYou may also enjoy...
-
That Bird Has My Wings
- The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row
- Written by: Jarvis Jay Masters
- Narrated by: Korey Jackson
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1990, while serving a sentence in San Quentin for armed robbery, Jarvis Jay Masters was implicated as an accessory in the murder of a prison guard. A 23-year-old Black man, Jarvis was sentenced to death in the gas chamber. While in the maximum security section of Death Row, using the only instrument available to him—a ball-point pen filler—Masters's astounding memoir is a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit and the talent of a fine writer.
-
-
Gripping
- By Gary C. on 2023-12-31
Written by: Jarvis Jay Masters
-
The Sound of Gravel
- A Memoir
- Written by: Ruth Wariner
- Narrated by: Ruth Wariner
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ruth Wariner was the 39th of her father's 42 children. Growing up on a farm in rural Mexico, where authorities turned a blind eye to the practices of her community, Ruth lives in a ramshackle house without indoor plumbing or electricity. At church, preachers teach that God will punish the wicked by destroying the world and that women can ascend to heaven only by entering into polygamous marriages and giving birth to as many children as possible.
-
-
Loved this!!
- By Raquel Wilson on 2024-03-27
Written by: Ruth Wariner
-
Three Perfect Liars
- Written by: Heidi Perks
- Narrated by: Sara Poyzer, Rupert Farley, Olivia Darnley
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Laura has returned to work at Morris and Wood after her maternity leave, only to discover that the woman she brought in to cover for her isn’t going anywhere. Despite her close relationship with the agency’s powerful CEO, she feels sidelined - and outmaneuvered - as she struggles to balance the demands of work and motherhood.
-
-
Interesting novel
- By Lorraine Kean on 2021-03-01
Written by: Heidi Perks
-
The Less People Know About Us
- A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identity
- Written by: Axton Betz-Hamilton
- Narrated by: Laurie Winkel
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this powerful true crime memoir, an award-winning identity theft expert tells the shocking story of the duplicity and betrayal that inspired her career and nearly destroyed her family. Axton Betz-Hamilton grew up in small-town Indiana in the early '90s. When she was 11 years old, her parents both had their identities stolen. Their credit ratings were ruined, and they were constantly fighting over money. This was before the age of the Internet, when identity theft became more commonplace, so authorities and banks were clueless and reluctant to help Axton's parents.
-
-
Loved it. Quite an emotional roller coaster.
- By Amazon Customer on 2020-08-28
Written by: Axton Betz-Hamilton
-
Escape
- Written by: Carolyn Jessop, Laura Palmer
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee
- Length: 15 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When she was 18 years old, Carolyn Jessop was coerced into an arranged marriage with a total stranger - a man 32 years her senior. Merril Jessop already had three wives. But arranged plural marriages were an integral part of Carolyn's heritage: She was born into and raised in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), the radical offshoot of the Mormon Church.
-
-
I love memoirs! This is one of the best !
- By Claire on 2020-04-28
Written by: Carolyn Jessop, and others
-
Unspeakable
- Surviving My Childhood and Finding My Voice
- Written by: Jessica Willis Fisher
- Narrated by: Jessica Fisher
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Using the written word as her witness statement, Jessica Willis Fisher tells a lacerating story of finding her voice after two decades of silence and an unforgettable story of risk and faith.
-
-
An absolutely harrowing but also inspiring story
- By Emma01 on 2024-02-15
Written by: Jessica Willis Fisher
-
That Bird Has My Wings
- The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row
- Written by: Jarvis Jay Masters
- Narrated by: Korey Jackson
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1990, while serving a sentence in San Quentin for armed robbery, Jarvis Jay Masters was implicated as an accessory in the murder of a prison guard. A 23-year-old Black man, Jarvis was sentenced to death in the gas chamber. While in the maximum security section of Death Row, using the only instrument available to him—a ball-point pen filler—Masters's astounding memoir is a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit and the talent of a fine writer.
-
-
Gripping
- By Gary C. on 2023-12-31
Written by: Jarvis Jay Masters
-
The Sound of Gravel
- A Memoir
- Written by: Ruth Wariner
- Narrated by: Ruth Wariner
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ruth Wariner was the 39th of her father's 42 children. Growing up on a farm in rural Mexico, where authorities turned a blind eye to the practices of her community, Ruth lives in a ramshackle house without indoor plumbing or electricity. At church, preachers teach that God will punish the wicked by destroying the world and that women can ascend to heaven only by entering into polygamous marriages and giving birth to as many children as possible.
-
-
Loved this!!
- By Raquel Wilson on 2024-03-27
Written by: Ruth Wariner
-
Three Perfect Liars
- Written by: Heidi Perks
- Narrated by: Sara Poyzer, Rupert Farley, Olivia Darnley
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Laura has returned to work at Morris and Wood after her maternity leave, only to discover that the woman she brought in to cover for her isn’t going anywhere. Despite her close relationship with the agency’s powerful CEO, she feels sidelined - and outmaneuvered - as she struggles to balance the demands of work and motherhood.
-
-
Interesting novel
- By Lorraine Kean on 2021-03-01
Written by: Heidi Perks
-
The Less People Know About Us
- A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identity
- Written by: Axton Betz-Hamilton
- Narrated by: Laurie Winkel
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this powerful true crime memoir, an award-winning identity theft expert tells the shocking story of the duplicity and betrayal that inspired her career and nearly destroyed her family. Axton Betz-Hamilton grew up in small-town Indiana in the early '90s. When she was 11 years old, her parents both had their identities stolen. Their credit ratings were ruined, and they were constantly fighting over money. This was before the age of the Internet, when identity theft became more commonplace, so authorities and banks were clueless and reluctant to help Axton's parents.
-
-
Loved it. Quite an emotional roller coaster.
- By Amazon Customer on 2020-08-28
Written by: Axton Betz-Hamilton
-
Escape
- Written by: Carolyn Jessop, Laura Palmer
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee
- Length: 15 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When she was 18 years old, Carolyn Jessop was coerced into an arranged marriage with a total stranger - a man 32 years her senior. Merril Jessop already had three wives. But arranged plural marriages were an integral part of Carolyn's heritage: She was born into and raised in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), the radical offshoot of the Mormon Church.
-
-
I love memoirs! This is one of the best !
- By Claire on 2020-04-28
Written by: Carolyn Jessop, and others
-
Unspeakable
- Surviving My Childhood and Finding My Voice
- Written by: Jessica Willis Fisher
- Narrated by: Jessica Fisher
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Using the written word as her witness statement, Jessica Willis Fisher tells a lacerating story of finding her voice after two decades of silence and an unforgettable story of risk and faith.
-
-
An absolutely harrowing but also inspiring story
- By Emma01 on 2024-02-15
Written by: Jessica Willis Fisher
-
A Good Wife
- Escaping the Life I Never Chose
- Written by: Samra Zafar, Meg Masters - contributor
- Narrated by: Samra Zafar
- Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At 15, Samra Zafar had big dreams for herself. She was going to go to university, and forge her own path. Then with almost no warning, those dreams were pulled away from her when she was suddenly married to a stranger at 17 and had to leave behind her family in Pakistan to move to Canada. Her new husband and his family promised that the marriage and the move would be a fulfillment of her dream, not a betrayal of it. But as the walls of their home slowly became a prison, Samra realized the promises were empty ones.
-
-
Courageous
- By Laurie P. on 2021-05-08
Written by: Samra Zafar, and others
-
The Couple at Number 9
- A Novel
- Written by: Claire Douglas
- Narrated by: Kenton Thomas, Nathalie Buscombe
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When pregnant Saffron Cutler moves into 9 Skelton Place with boyfriend Tom and sets about renovations, the last thing she expects is builders uncovering human remains. The remains of two bodies, in fact.
-
-
Amazing story
- By Patrick Berard on 2024-07-03
Written by: Claire Douglas
-
The Anatomy of Anxiety
- Understanding and Overcoming the Body's Fear Response
- Written by: Ellen Vora
- Narrated by: Eileen Stevens
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anxiety affects more than forty million Americans—a number that continues to climb in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. While conventional medicine tends to view anxiety as a “neck-up” problem—that is, one of brain chemistry and psychology—the truth is that the origins of anxiety are rooted in the body. In The Anatomy of Anxiety, holistic psychiatrist Dr. Ellen Vora offers nothing less than a paradigm shift in our understanding of anxiety and mental health, suggesting that anxiety is not simply a brain disorder but a whole-body condition.
-
-
This book is a masterpiece
- By NewMom1520 on 2023-03-18
Written by: Ellen Vora
-
The Sister Effect
- Written by: Susan Mallery
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Finley McGowan is determined that the niece she’s raising will always feel loved and wanted. Unlike how she felt after her mom left to pursue a dream of stardom, and when the grandfather who was left to raise them abandoned her and her sister, Sloane, when they needed him most. Finley reacted to her chaotic childhood by walking the straight and narrow—nose down, work hard, follow the rules.
-
-
The Sister Effect
- By Solange Keller on 2023-04-12
Written by: Susan Mallery
-
Breaking Free
- How I Escaped Polygamy, the FLDS Cult, and My Father, Warren Jeffs
- Written by: Rachel Jeffs
- Narrated by: Rachel Jeffs
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this searing memoir of survival in the spirit of Stolen Innocence, the daughter of Warren Jeffs, the self-proclaimed Prophet of the FLDS Church, takes you deep inside the secretive polygamist Mormon fundamentalist cult run by her family and how she escaped it. Born into the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Rachel Jeffs was raised in a strict patriarchal culture defined by subordinate sister wives and men they must obey.
-
-
Fascinating and Gribbing!
- By Sue Volpe on 2017-11-28
Written by: Rachel Jeffs
-
T-Shirt Swim Club
- Stories from Being Fat in a World of Thin People
- Written by: Ian Karmel, Alisa Karmel PsyD
- Narrated by: Ian Karmel, Alisa Karmel PsyD
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ian Karmel has weighed eight pounds and he has weighed 420 pounds and right now he’s almost exactly in between the two, but this book is not a weight-loss book. It’s about being a fat person in a skinny world. It’s about gym class and football practice, about chicken wings and juice cleanses, about airplane seats and roller coasters, about fat jokes and Jabba the Hutt, about crying in the Big and Tall section and the joys of being a sneakerhead, about prediabetes and gout, and about realizing that you actually don’t want to eat yourself to death and hoping it’s not too late.
Written by: Ian Karmel, and others
-
Out of the Shadows
- A Memoir
- Written by: Timea Nagy, Shannon Moroney
- Narrated by: AJ Bridel
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Timea Nagy was 20 years old when she answered a newspaper ad in Budapest, Hungary, calling for young women to work as babysitters and housekeepers in Canada. Hired by what seemed like a legitimate recruitment agency, Timea left her home believing she would earn good money to send back to her family. What she didn't know was that she'd been lured by a ring of international human traffickers - and her life would never again be the same.
-
-
Times Nagy is a hero!
- By Julia on 2020-07-06
Written by: Timea Nagy, and others
-
My Mother, Munchausen's and Me
- A True Story of Betrayal and a Shocking Family Secret
- Written by: Helen Naylor
- Narrated by: Helen Naylor
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ten years ago, Helen Naylor discovered her mother, Elinor, had been faking debilitating illnesses for 30 years. After Elinor’s self-induced death, Helen found her diaries, which Elinor wrote daily for more than 50 years. The diaries reveal not only the inner workings of Elinor’s twisted mind and self-delusion, but also shocking revelations about Helen’s childhood. Everything Helen knew about herself and her upbringing was founded on a lie.
-
-
Unique story
- By Roberta W on 2024-02-02
Written by: Helen Naylor
-
Hope
- A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland
- Written by: Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, Mary Jordan, and others
- Narrated by: Jorjeana Marie, Marisol Ramirez, Arthur Morey
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two victims of the infamous Cleveland kidnapper share the story of their abductions, their decade in captivity, and their final, dramatic rescue. On May 6, 2013, Amanda Berry made headlines around the world when she fled a Cleveland area home and called 911, saying: “Help me, I’m Amanda Berry...I’ve been kidnapped, and I’ve been missing for 10 years". A horrifying story rapidly unfolded. Ariel Castro, a local school bus driver, had separately lured Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight to his home, where he kept them chained in the basement.
-
-
Heroic
- By shawn on 2020-04-19
Written by: Amanda Berry, and others
-
I Felt the End Before It Came
- Memoirs of a Queer Ex-Jehovah's Witness
- Written by: Daniel Allen Cox
- Narrated by: Daniel Allen Cox
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Daniel Allen Cox grew up with firm lines around what his religion considered unacceptable: celebrating birthdays and holidays, voting in elections, pursuing higher education, and other forays into independent thought. Their opposition to blood transfusions would have consequences for his mother, just as their stance on homosexuality would for him. But even years after whispers of his sexual orientation reached his congregation’s presiding elder, catalyzing his disassociation, the distinction between “in” and “out” isn’t always clear.
-
-
Marvelous
- By BlackWidow on 2023-06-18
Written by: Daniel Allen Cox
-
Wake
- A Novel
- Written by: Shelley Burr
- Narrated by: Jacquie Brennan
- Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The tiny outback town of Nannine lies in the harsh red interior of Australia. Once a thriving center of stockyards and sheep stations, years of punishing drought have petrified the land and Nannine has been whittled down to no more than a stoplight, a couple bars, and a police station. And it has another, more sinister claim to fame: the still-unsolved disappearance of young Evelyn McCreery nineteen years ago.
-
-
Great story
- By Teresa Flett on 2023-02-27
Written by: Shelley Burr
-
Princess
- A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia
- Written by: Jean Sasson
- Narrated by: Catherine Byers
- Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Princess describes the life of Princess Sultana Al Sa'ud, a princess in the royal house of Saudi Arabia. Hidden behind her black veil, she is a prisoner, jailed by her father, her husband, and her country. Sultana tells of appalling oppressions, everyday occurrences that in any other culture would be seen as shocking human rights violations: 13-year-old girls forced to marry men five times their age; young women killed by drowning, stoning, or isolation in the "women's room". Princess is a testimony to a woman of indomitable spirit and courage.
-
-
Amazing book
- By Rome on 2020-09-26
Written by: Jean Sasson
What listeners say about American Daughter
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jayne
- 2023-07-28
Words fail me!
I am left pondering the width and breath of an astonishing memoir which works on so many levels to remind us all what is means to be human…to look past the obvious, to show compassion and most of all to forgive and move on to make one’s own life the best it can be even in the face of such devastating, unbelievable odds. I am amazed at Stephanie’s strength. This book is the crowning jewel on a well lived life!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Souricette Sarah
- 2024-04-24
Soul ripping, gripping
This horrible story is so well built that the cruelest of things are flowing through and we just can't stop listening, tearing up yet smiling all at once. This is resilience to it's finest. Worth every minute.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Charles Sinclair
- 2023-07-10
Unforgettable read!!
Thank you for the intimate and heart wrenching memoir! It took guts to write
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Catt
- 2023-02-15
SO Good!!
A heart breaking, honest, and beautifully woven tale ....with that completely unexpected u turn nearing the end!
Outstanding narration...I couldn't stop listening. Finished it over 2 days!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kimberly M Toffan
- 2025-01-20
The coming together of the whole story
The author did a fantastic job of sharing her own experiences, along with the experiences that shaped her mother's life. The details in which she describes each are superbly explained to really feel what each woman went through. I also love how she intertwined both stories throughout the book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2022-09-14
A good memoir reveals new lessons to the reader
An incredible, raw view on what it means to forgive an abusive relationship. I'm still reflecting weeks later , Bravo Stephanie
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2023-05-29
Wow
A survivor story! Very well read by the author. Thank you Stephanie for sharing your story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!