A masterfully written memoir of self-preservation, Means tells the engrossing story of her upbringing as a Chicana girl whose family is overwhelmed by poverty, addiction, patriarchy, and violence. Spending her childhood riding shotgun as her mother runs from one abusive relationship to another, Means’s life is a blur of highways and traumas that collapse any effort to track time. With no money and only burned bridges behind them, Means is forced to take care of her younger brother, manage the instability of her home life, her mother’s unexpected comings and goings, and make sense of the troublesome world around her. Hell If We Don’t Change Our Ways will astonish and challenge readers—and will never be forgotten.