Ma, now I'm goin up in the world

In the latest instalment of Martha Long's autobiography, Ma, Now I'm Goin Up in the World, her story continues through her teenage years.

At 16, Martha collapses on the streets, suffering from starvation, exposure and absolute exhaustion.

She has reached rock bottom and something must give.

Otherwise, she may come to an untimely end. After Martha is taken to hospital, Lady Luck smiles kindly on her and she is given the opportunity to get off the streets for ever.

Before long, Martha is on the way to leading the normal life she has so long dreamt of.

She makes friends, begins to put the misery of her past behind her and even experiences her first taste of love.

For her, love is a powerful feeling. She has never experienced real affection before and is now plunged into the complex world of love between a man and a woman.

This conflict between childhood and adulthood, with the different emotional needs of both, causes a war of confusion to rage within Martha.

She is locked in an intense emotion that consumes her, for this is a forbidden love that can never be requited.

After all, Ralph Fitzgerald is a priest, and he will never break his vow of chastity. This love brings heartbreaking consequences and changes the direction of Martha's life for ever ...