This Wasn't Supposed to Be My Story is a powerful memoir of resilience, reinvention, and truth-telling by Dr. Vanda Seward. Becoming a mother at sixteen, dropping out of high school, and growing up in public housing were supposed to define-and limit-her future. Instead, they became the foundation of a life lived on her own terms.
With raw honesty, Seward traces her journey from the Bronx to a groundbreaking career inside New York State's criminal justice system, offering a rare insider perspective shaped by lived experience. She writes candidly about teen motherhood, street life, love and loss, working behind prison walls, and marrying a man who was incarcerated-while ultimately earning a GED, multiple degrees, and a PhD.
Threaded throughout is her mantra, ""I don't give a damn,"" not as defiance, but as clarity and self-preservation. This memoir challenges stereotypes, exposes the human cost of mass incarceration, and affirms that destiny is not dictated by circumstance-but reclaimed through courage, education, and truth.
By:
Dr Vanda Seward Imprint: NY Publishers Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 16mm
Weight: 526g ISBN:9781964365756 ISBN 10: 1964365759 Pages: 268 Publication Date:13 February 2026 Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format:Hardback Publisher's Status: Active
