"Originally published in 1925 in France by Contact Editions. This edition issued based on the paperback edition published in 1989 in the United States by The Book Club of Texas"--Copyright page.

"Originally published in Paris in 1925, My First Thirty Years is a brutally honest memoir by Gertrude Beasley, who grew up in poverty in rural Texas and suffered unthinkable emotional and sexual abuse at the hands of her family. The themes in this book are still relevant to readers today, telling the story of a woman who grew up in brutal circumstances, but who ultimately found a way out. Beasley's memoir is one of the most raw coming-of-age historical biographies of women ever written that was suppressed and essentially lost to history-until now"--,Provided by publisher.