City of Flowers

Losing her mother at nine, moving to Alaska at thirteen, and leaving the country at fifteen, City of Flowers narrates the early life of author Diane E. Greentree. It tells the story of a teenage girl who was spiraling downward but ultimately reignited a sense of wonder and changed the course of her life. In this memoir, Greentree shares how she received too much attention following her mom's death and decided to never stand out again, a goal that brought devastating consequences later on. In a new town in southeast Alaska, feeling pressured toward drinking and sex, she sought an excuse to avoid doing something she would regret. For her, it was a letter from her mother. The desire to fit in proved too strong, however, and she crossed into an unhealthy abyss. Hearing about an exchange program, she jumped at the chance for escape, and with surprising determination, competed, and was selected to go. Thus began an adventure to the southern Philippines. Immersed in a new culture, food, ways of thinking and with no hope of fitting in, she grew to understand that she didn't need the approval of others to be herself. City of Flowers shares one teenager's story of coming of age and overcoming early challenges to learn to believe in herself.