Prison baby : a memoir
(Book)

Originally published in 2012 by Cell 7 Media as: Even tough girls wear tutus.

After discovering that she was born in a prison to a heroin-addicted mother, the author recalls her subsequent descent into drugs and crime and her recovery as she finds forgiveness and acceptance for both her real and adopted mothers.

"Even at twelve years old Deborah Jiang Stein, the adopted daughter of a progressive Jewish couple in Seattle, felt like an outsider. Her multiracial features set her apart from her well-intentioned white parents, who evaded questions about her past. But when Deborah discovered a letter revealing the truth--that she was born in prison to a heroin-addicted mother and spent the first year of her life there--she spiraled into emotional lockdown. For years she turned to drugs, violence, and crime as a way to cope with her grief. Ultimately, Deborah overcame the stigma, shame, and secrecy of her birth and found peace by helping others--proving that redemption and acceptance are possible, even from the darkest corners." -- Publisher's description.