Book excerpt: Harley, named after the iconic motorcycle and the youngest of nineteen children, is dying on the vine of neglect. Anxiety wakes her before dawn each day, and she braces herself with coffee and her first smoke of the day, wading through dirty dishes and serving breakfast to assorted nieces and nephews. With few friends and fewer prospects, Harley drifts toward underachievement and delinquency. Her wayward school attendance and a shoplifting incident lead her high school to identify Harley as ‘at risk,’ and officials sign her into a student mentorship program. Paired with a young, female doctor, the arrangement initially yields little value. Ultimately, however, it develops into a complex net of relationships and a community that neither woman could have imagined. As the women cope with physical abuse, love, death, motherhood, and more, readers are drawn into their lives and the lives of their friends. With help from her community, Harley pulls herself up by her bootstraps, and as she does, she raises those around. Harley’s Bootstraps is a testament to women’s strength and resilience, and it demonstrates the intimacy and power of female relationships. It speaks to the hard-won battles that women need to be proud of and inspires women to care about and to take care of each other.