TIME TO STOP PRETENDING In the passion of this story resounds the brave voice of one woman who harnessed her courage and creativity to overcome seemingly insurmountable misfortunes: domestic violence, poverty, religious dependency, and homelessness. It is a dramatic story‚¬her own account‚¬of quitting school when she was 16 years old to get married, rearing eight children, enduring her husband‚¬„s abusive treatment, and being homeless with kids in New York City. Although the circumstances and people in this story are unique to one woman, they speak about society as a whole.