An Invisible Prison: A True Story of Survival

Susan Armstrong with C.K Clarke
iUniverse (2006)
ISBN 9780595382774
Reviewed by Kornelia Longoria for Reader Views (2/07)

“An Invisible Prison” is the author’s record of her problems steaming from alcoholism and the influence it had on her life as a teenager and as a young adult. Susan started drinking socially in her early teenage years. She started going to “biker bars,” where her drinking was encouraged and where she found sponsors for her destructive habits. This led to one unfortunate relationship to another, where often she was beaten, treated as a second-category being, and became very dependent on the lifestyle she got herself into.  Her many unsuccessful efforts to get sober and straighten up her life discouraged her from trying harder as she came to believe that she is meant for this lifestyle and that she cannot be any better. Working hard as a waitress and often supporting the habits of her current biker boyfriend was the essence of her life for many years. Her lifestyle became a prison for her where the bars can not be seen but it’s almost impossible to get out.

The story of Susan’s life is a very well-written and very moving memoir. The book shows how some decisions and actions influence not only the following days and weeks of our lives, but also very often, very many years. It tells how hard it is to overcome fears and your own insecurities and reach your own potential. It shows the cruelty in this world and harsh reality. Even though the book is very depressing and in majority full of negative events, Susan gets away from her lifestyle and becomes sober. She manages to push away her inner ghosts and change her routine for her own well-being. Susan shows the readers how amazingly strong human beings can be and how determined we can be to change things around.

I believe that “An Invisible Prison” would be great for both women and men of all ages. It’s a great motivational tool to show us that even if our life is really bad, it could be much worse, but it can also be better. It’s all in our hands to decide what kind of life we want to live.

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