This Is Not My Memoir

When a squad of federal agents burst through her parents’ front door, Victoria Fedden felt ill-prepared to meet them: She was weeks away from her due date and her T-shirt wasn’t long enough to hide her maternity undies. As for the question of how to raise a child when you’ve just discovered that your mother and stepfather have allegedly masterminded a pump-and-dump scheme? She was pretty sure that wasn’t covered in What to Expect When You’re Expecting—and she really hoped that Bradford Cohen, the noted criminal defense attorney who famously waived his exemption on The Apprentice, would prove them innocent.

Nineteen-year-old MaryJane Thomson seemed to have it all. Intelligent, creative, and beautiful, she was destined for a bright future. But a nightmare of delusions and hallucinations was unfolding. She dropped out of university, turned to drugs, and spent years in and out of psych wards, police cells, drug hangouts, and on the streets.