"Carson Harper hates life. Hates that she's fat and hates that her mother won't let her do anything because she might get hurt. On the last day of her junior year Carson leaves a note for her mother detailing her plan to escape to an outward bound camp -- alone. She'll prove her strength to those mean kids at school who harassed her, and she'll show her mom she's not afraid to take a risk by doing something so big it will change everything. SURVIVING LIFE is the story of how a teenager's brave decision to defy her mother and prove she can survive in the world, teaches both mother and daughter lessons about life and the marvelous and terrifying things that can happen as you give in to passion to live every minute to the fullest."--Page 4 of cover.