You Are the Prize: Seeing Yourself Beyond the Imperfections of Your Trauma explores the journey and struggles in author Amnoni Myers’ life. She learned to succeed in a world full of intricacies and survive through dark moments as a child growing up in the foster care system. Despite negative statistics, Amnoni was always determined to create a different story than the one that was written about her.

This is a must-read if you are interested in learning more about the personal experiences of children in the foster care system. Myers challenges the reader:

• How do I help young people navigate difficult transitions?
• What sustainable methods can I employ to help young people thrive in spite of their trauma?

This book is a personal mantra and a reminder that we all deserve to understand our worth regardless of what we’ve experienced. You Are the Prize speaks to young people who are currently in the system and thought leaders who want to grapple with transforming the child welfare system in order to help foster children find their voice.

(paperback, 190 pages, 2022)

Staff Member Review

You Are the Prize: Seeing Yourself Beyond the Imperfections of Your Trauma is written by a first-generation college graduate who received her master’s degree in public administration. Under the Obama administration, Amnoni Myers worked as an intern at The White House and used her voice to advocate for children in the foster care system. This inspiring story shows that no matter where you came from and what you have endured, you can go on to live a life where your story can inspire others and create change. Amnoni gives a voice to the lives of children in foster care through her courage, vulnerability, and determination to alter her own situation.

Amnoni tells her story by stitching together pieces of her life. In one reflection, Amnoni shares how she worked with a counselor who helped her create a grief box after she had suffered abuse from a relative as a young girl. The counselor had her write about her emotions and thoughts regarding the experience and put them in the box, which they then buried. As they were burying the box, her counselor encouraged Amnoni to repeat after her, “You are loved, you are beautiful, and you are perfect.” Amnoni credits this experience as what helped her see and know that she mattered. As she continued to live through difficult experiences, she was able to draw on this memory to find the strength to keep going.

This book appears to be self-published, and there are moments when an editor could have improved the book’s flow as a whole. Although well-written, there are often large time gaps between chapters, making her life story hard to follow. Readers are left wondering how certain experiences ended or how another began. However, her important message remains. Keep your eye on the prize. And that prize is you.

Author: Amnoni L. Myers
ISBN: 978-1-63676-502-0
Count: 1