Dreamer's Daughter (Surviving My Childhood and Raising My Father)

A daughter’s inspiring memoir of a childhood short on money, but rich in all the rest, and her eccentric and misguided father who fails spectacularly at everything—except being a loving parent.

In a mining town where hope is as tapped out as the gold, a mother abandons her two children, leaving them in the custody of their free-spirited father. Colorful and larger-than-life, Dacker Thicke is a dreamer whose schemes and small businesses never quite pan out. But he’s always chasing the next big thing.

When they lose everything in a house fire, Dacker considers this the ultimate freedom and leads his children on a cross-country road trip that will force them to rely on his wits and dubious judgment. Amid the chaos, Lori must raise herself and her younger brother—and, on occasion, her father. When she strives for independence, she discovers that it’s hard to leave home when home has wheels and keeps following you around.

A coming-of-age memoir, Dreamer’s Daughter is a life-affirming story about forgiving our parents—and ourselves. It’s a celebration of the love we find in even the most unconventional families, and how sometimes we need to leave home to find our way back.