A Piece Of Cake: A Memoir

Why might Cupcake’s experiences, along with her particular skills and personality, have been such a perfect fit for the world of law? What separates a lawyer who has been through what her clients have, and one who has only studied literature on the subject?

How does Cupcake use different styles of writing to embody different moments in her life as she tells her story? How does her writing change as the past self she examines grows up and enters new situations? What attitude does Cupcake hold toward her past mistakes, and how is this evident in the way she describes them?

What does Cupcake mean by “ignorance manufactures denial” (260)? How does this aphorism apply to Cupcake’s relationship with Tommy, her addictions, and her general attitude toward her life?

What did Cupcake learn from her time being in a gang? How did this experience shape the person she is today?

What is Cupcake’s relationship with God like for most of her life, and how does it change when she joins the 12-step program? How does the idea of God help Cupcake through the recovery phase of her journey?

Why are names so important to Cupcake? How does she identify with each of her names, and how does each name embody a different aspect of who she is?

Explore Cupcake’s journey of Perseverance, Survival, and Transformation. What are the major events of her life that cause her to change? When does she demonstrate the strongest persistence, and what does she believe allowed her to survive where so many others have not?

Cupcake’s memoir illustrates the full process of Developing, Experiencing, and Overcoming Addiction. What does Cupcake blame for the development of her addiction and the fact that it lasted so long? Who does Cupcake credit for her recovery and why?