Hungry Heart byJennifer Weiner

I've read and enjoyed many books by Jennifer Weiner--In Her Shoes, Good in Bed, Little Earthquakes. And I assumed she had issues with her weight--which she did. But I had no idea what a tumultous upbringing she had. She started out with a happy nuclear family, then dad the doctor decided to leave so he could live the life he wanted to live (and truthfully he seemed to have some mental health issues, which worsened with the years). Mom is overwhelmed when she's left to raise the kids with pretty much no financial support--which Jennifer finds out when she tries to enroll for classes at Princeton one semester and finds out her father didn't pay her tuition bill.

Through it all, Jennifer knows she wants to write. And write she does. First for newspapers then she starts working on a novel, which becomes Good in Bed. And the rest is history. It's nice to see that she has found a happy family life with her husband and kids.

If you're a fan of her novels, give Hungry Heart a read. It will give you a whole new perspective on both her books and on what goes into being a writer.