Finding Home Through a Chain-Link Fence: Mae Wagner's "Girls, Assassins & Other Bad Ideas"
Mae Wagner grew up in a small New Mexico town, where a rickety fence between houses held both her childhood dreams and deepest hurts. On one side lived her best friend Melanie's family - loving, stable, filling their home with the scent of homemade tortillas and endless warmth. On the other side was Mae's reality: a mentally ill mother, cycles of abuse, and a devastating secret she'd carry for decades.
In "Girls, Assassins & Other Bad Ideas," Mae writes with raw honesty about her journey from that little girl watching life through a chain-link fence to the woman she'd become. The memoir weaves together pivotal moments - dancing alone in her grandmother's driveway to local radio, finding refuge in the yellow church where her grandmother was a pillar of faith, and ultimately having to leave everything behind at age twelve when she was sent to a children's ranch in Idaho.
But this isn't simply a story of trauma. Through Mae's unflinching prose emerges a narrative about the countless ways love shows up, even in the darkest places. There's her grandfather sharing Twix bars after his truck routes. The Martinez family next door who gave her a glimpse of what family could be. The bond with her best friend Melanie that transcended their fence. And most surprisingly, moments of connection with her troubled mother Nora that glimmered through the chaos - like the meticulously smoothed sheets in her sleeping bag before summer camp.
Today, Mae lives on the shores of Lake Erie with her husband and their golden retriever. She's built a life centered on advocating for women, fostering community, and helping others find their voice. Her writing carries the dust and grit of her New Mexico roots while illuminating universal truths about belonging, forgiveness, and learning to love oneself.
Through chapters filled with vivid characters and scenes that bring small-town New Mexico to life, Mae shows us that healing isn't linear. Sometimes it requires returning to the hardest memories - like that fence between houses - to finally understand that love can flow both ways. Her story reminds us that even when childhood ends too soon, it's never too late to reclaim your voice and write a new chapter.
"Girls, Assassins & Other Bad Ideas" is Mae's unflinching love letter to her younger self, to the people who showed up for her, and to anyone who has ever felt caught between two worlds. It's a testament to the power of telling your story, even the parts that hurt to remember, and finding that in sharing our truths we often discover we were never really alone.
