After my parents divorced, my mom worked full time. Once when I was eight, I stayed home sick by myself because Mom didn't want to take the day off from work. I tried to make tomato soup (which Mom used to make for me when I was sick) and I forgot it on the stove and it burned. I called my mom's office all upset, and her boss answered her phone. He had a very deep voice and a thick accent, and I couldn't understand him. I remember just bursting into tears...
I highly recommend the book "Glass Castles" by Jeannette Walls. Her childhood makes mine look like Disneyland. She talks about getting burned (so bad she had to get hospitalized) while cooking hotdogs for herself- she was THREE years old! It's a tough story, but well told with a good dose of humor, similar to Angela's Ashes.
