{"product_id":"this-wasnt-supposed-to-be-my-story-defying-expectations-living-my-truth-paperback","title":"This Wasn't Supposed To Be My Story: Defying Expectations, Living My Truth - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eVanda Seward\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis Wasn't Supposed to Be My Story is a powerful memoir of resilience, reinvention, and truth-telling by Dr. Vanda Seward. Becoming a mother at sixteen, dropping out of high school, and growing up in public housing were supposed to define-and limit-her future. Instead, they became the foundation of a life lived on her own terms.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith raw honesty, Seward traces her journey from the Bronx to a groundbreaking career inside New York State's criminal justice system, offering a rare insider perspective shaped by lived experience. She writes candidly about teen motherhood, street life, love and loss, working behind prison walls, and marrying a man who was incarcerated-while ultimately earning a GED, multiple degrees, and a PhD.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThreaded throughout is her mantra, \"I don't give a damn,\" not as defiance, but as clarity and self-preservation. This memoir challenges stereotypes, exposes the human cost of mass incarceration, and affirms that destiny is not dictated by circumstance-but reclaimed through courage, education, and truth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 268\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.56 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 13, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44498607800455,"sku":"9781964365749","price":19.42,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2623\/2711\/files\/Py8mRmbqTk9781964365749.webp?v=1776570624","url":"https:\/\/booksby.splitshops.com\/products\/this-wasnt-supposed-to-be-my-story-defying-expectations-living-my-truth-paperback","provider":"Books by splitShops","version":"1.0","type":"link"}