Los Angeles, California Oct 7, 2026 (Issuewire.com) - Lorena Sikorski’s Artists and Vagabonds examines the lasting effects of childhood abuse, family dysfunction, instability, and conditional love through a deeply personal memoir shaped by survival and self-discovery.
The book traces Sikorski’s upbringing within a family marked by frequent moves, fractured relationships, and an unconventional artistic tradition. Her mother’s abusive behavior and controlling influence created an environment of fear, while her father remained largely passive. Amid that instability, music became one of Sikorski’s strongest sources of identity, discipline, and eventual independence.
The memoir also follows Sikorski’s coming of age as a lesbian during a period when social and religious pressures made openness difficult. Her story reflects the consequences of rejection, secrecy, and homophobia while also documenting the acceptance and community she later found beyond her family of origin.
A review from The US Review of Books by Sarah Poulette describes the memoir as a poignant account of escaping narcissistic abuse and generations of toxic family dynamics. The review highlights Sikorski’s willingness to confront painful family history directly, while also noting how music helped provide a path toward freedom and a life beyond the circumstances of her childhood. It further recognizes the memoir’s combination of chronological storytelling and free-verse passages that reveal the emotional weight behind the events. The review ultimately emphasizes Sikorski’s perseverance, healing, and ability to build a meaningful life after adversity.
Lorena Sikorski is a retired music and science educator who taught for thirty-five years in California’s Garden Grove Unified School District. She is also a professional violinist and trombonist and continues her work through a private music studio.
Artists and Vagabonds offers an unfiltered account of resilience, identity, and breaking harmful generational patterns. The memoir presents recovery not as erasure, but as reclamation of self. More information about Sikorski, her work, and the book is available at lorenasikorski.com.
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