Liz Murray, the best-selling author of “Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard” and this year’s UB Reads author, will speak on Oct. 14 as part of UB’s Distinguished Speakers Series.

The lecture will take place at 8 p.m. in Alumni Arena, North Campus.

The child of cocaine-addicted parents in the Bronx, Murray was homeless by age 15 — living on the streets, riding the subway all night and eating from dumpsters. Determined to take charge of her life, she finished high school in just two years while camping out in New York City parks and subway stations, and then went on to Harvard, where she earned a BS in psychology in 2009.  

Lifetime Television produced a movie about Murray's life story — “From Homeless to Harvard” — which premiered in April 2003. Her memoir, “Breaking Night,” was released in September 2010 and within a week landed on The New York Times best-seller list.

She is the recipient of Oprah Winfrey’s first-ever Chutzpah Award.

Tickets for Murray’s lecture can be purchased at the Alumni Arena box office or through Ticketmaster.