Stacy Bowen has endured a bumpy road in her thirty-eight years. In this memoir, she recounts some pivotal moments experienced and the people involved who helped to form the woman she is today. From family crises to freedom of the open road, Bowen recalls a host of memories: coping with a difficult childhood, enduring the loss of family members, recognizing the ties that bind families together (or tear them apart), and navigating the complex process of self-discovery. The child of a single parent, she describes the shame of being labeled as lower class and her internal struggles with self-esteem. With intimate and painful details, she shares the medical event that nearly ruined her and narrates her experience as an organ donor and her subsequent involvement with that community. Themes of perseverance and strength form the foundation for the stories in Through Hazel Eyes, conveying pain, acceptance, exploration, death, learning, and growth.