There was never enough food in the house, the apartment was filthy and drugs were everywhere. Amidst this pain, Murray always imagined her life could be much better than it was. But, I quickly found that I also could not do it alone. I had to take responsibility first, and then I had to find help—a community of caring people to help me get there. Her story sounds like a Hollywood movie—and it practically is.
Her memoir, Breaking Night, landed on the New York Times best seller list within a week of its release and it quickly became an international bestseller published in twelve countries, in eight languages. Harvard - bound. Liz was beginning high school at a time most teenagers were graduating, but she promised herself to become a "straight-A student". As she neared the end of her high school education, and with her straight-A grades, Liz was taken on a school trip to Boston - her first time out of New York.
Sensing her excitement, a teacher suggested she apply but, with no money, and still homeless - a secret she had kept from everyone at school - Harvard seemed out of reach. For the scheme, Liz had to detail what "obstacles" she had faced in order to achieve academically. For many of her friends and teachers, it was the first they had heard about her past struggles. They were people who read the article, got in their cars, drove to the school… 'Can we help Liz?
With the scholarship money coming her way, Liz started her studies. While she was there, she began public speaking - helping people who, like herself, had an almost impossible mountain to climb to succeed in life. Now she makes her living as a motivational speaker and founder of Manifest Living, a company which offers workshops for people wanting to change their circumstances. By the time she had finished her studies, Aids had taken the life of her father. Travelling back to take care of him, Liz says she took some comfort in knowing that her father had died a sober man.
However, a lesser-known fact about Liz is that she credits this unlikely change in life trajectory to a mentor who touched her life at exactly the right time. Liz was raised in the Bronx by two loving but drug-addicted parents.
She grew up in poverty, often without enough food, chronically absent from school and most of all, struggling to connect her education to a viable future. Arthur tutored Liz, helped her complete homework, brought her on numerous day trips, and encouraged her to imagine a life beyond her circumstances. Above all, Arthur helped Liz understand that she matters.
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