Mother of San Francisco 49ers' Arik Armstead releases powerful memoir, 'Illegitimate: Memoir of a Priest's Daughter'
Christa Armstead, mother of San Francisco 49er and Elk Grove native Arik Armstead, released a powerful new memoir titled, "Illegitimate: Memoir of a Priest's Daughter," pulling back the curtain on her rocky past.
Few could imagine that the radiant, always-smiling Armstead matriarch has overcome a life full of heartbreak and trauma; however, the book details her struggles with poverty and rejection from her father.
Her story begins before she was born when her 18-year-old African American mother became pregnant by a 30-year-old White Catholic priest.
"She met my father when she was around 14 years old," Armstead shared in an interview with CBS13. "He was her mentor, he was her counselor and he was also her Catholic priest."
Armstead was rejected at birth by her father.
"It labeled me as shameful and secretive," Armstead said.
Raised by a single mother, she experienced poverty in inner-city Los Angeles. With flaming red hair and light skin, Armstead grew up in a time when the world was unkind to biracial children.
"There was a lot of searching for significance and love and acceptance which was one of the reasons why I wrote this memoir," Armstead said.
As her own mother battled deep psychological wounds, Armstead was haunted by the absence of her father's love. When the trauma of her past caught up to her, she was pushed to the brink of suicide.
Armstead said her memoir is about resilience and survival. She put pen to paper to share her life story: a woman who was pushed to rock bottom only to go on to break generational curses in her family.
"Today I have a very full, blessed, rich life that is filled with purpose, with love that I thought I would never have," Armstead said.
"Illegitimate: Memoir of a Priest's Daughter" is now available on Amazon. Armstead's book release party is at 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 22 at Midtown Church Sacramento.