Bitch by Deja King

★★★

            Precious Cummiongs grew up raised in the projects of Brooklyn, New York.  Previous lives with her mother who is a drug addict and prostitute.  When Previous is fifteen, her mother informs her that she owes her $1,000 a month for rent of she will kick her out on the streets.  Precious works part-time at a car dealership, but does not make enough money.  Left with no other option, Precious begins hustling for money.  She quickly becomes involved with some of Brooklyn’s top kingpins of the streets.  This leads her to Nico Carter, the “King of the Hood” who gives her all the money, fame, and position that she could have dreamed of.  When she kinds out that Nico is cheating on her, she plans for her revenge that goes terribly wrong and leads to the death of her mother.

            With Nico’s stolen one million dollars, Precious leaves her street life in Brooklyn behind and moves to Jersey.  By chance, she meets Rhonda and moves in with her.  Rhonda works in the music business and introduces Precious to a whole new life.  At a club one night, she catches the eye of Supreme, a famous rapper.  Precious and Supreme quickly fall for each other, but Supreme suspects that there is more to Precious then she lets on.  Will Precious risk everything by telling her new boyfriend about her past?  And will what she did to Nico finally catch up to her and ruin her glamorous life?

Urban Fiction is a completely new genre to me.  I honestly did not know anything about it, other then being familiar with the name, before taking this class.  All of the slang, as well as the frequent graphic sex, violence, and language took me a little while to get use to, but I finished the book very quickly and it generally caught my interest.  It had a fast and exciting pace, dynamic characters, and lots of action.  This genre is not one that I would normally choose to read, but I can see its appeal for readers. 

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork

★★★★

"I'm just human.  Our task is to try.  Being a death warrior is all in the trying."

After the recent death of his father and older sister, seventeen-year-old Pancho arrives at St. Anthony’s Home for orphaned boys with one thing on his mind - to leave as soon as he gets the chance.  He aims to find the man that killed his mentally disabled sister and bring her death to justice.  Then he meets D.Q., a high-spirited teenager that is dying from cancer and his plans change.  Pancho is hired by the priest at the home to help D.Q. and travel with him while he is going through experimental chemotherapy treatment. During treatment, D.Q. focuses on writing his “Death Warrior’s Manifesto” and spending time with the beautiful Marisol, the girl of his dreams.  Pancho soon finds himself forming and unexpected bond with D.Q. and begins to question his decision to find his sister’s killer.

I wasn’t really expecting to like this book, but I ended up really enjoying it.  Typical novels involving the dying and death of young adults tend to be overly dramatic, but the author told this story in a way that was beautiful and compelling.  The main characters of Pancho, D.Q., and Marisol as well as the supporting characters were well developed and complex as individual characters and in their relationships with one another.  This was a wonderfully written story and heartbreaking story of faith, love, and friendship that I would highly recommend to young adults.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

★★★★

"I believe in one day and someday and this perfect moment called Now."

"Even the silence

has a story to tell you.

Just listen. Listen."

In this book of verse, award-winning young adult author Jacqueline Woodson tells her story of growing up as an African-American in the 1960s and 1970s.  Jacqueline was born in Ohio, but has fond memories of visiting her grandparents during the summer in South Carolina.  When her parents separate, Jacqueline moves with her mother and older brother and sister first to her grandparents and later to New York City.  Writing as a young girl, Jacqueline never feels quite at home in either place and experiences a growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement.  She notices the difference from how her family is treated in New York compared to the prejudice that they face in South Carolina.  Jacqueline has always enjoyed writing and learns to express herself and her feelings about her race through her writing of stories and poetry.

I really enjoyed this book.  It was a quick read, but explored complex issues in a way that relates to young people.  The lyrical style was very beautifully written and I really appreciated the author’s unique style and perspective of her childhood.  I would highly recommend this book to young adults of all ages and I believe that many adults would enjoy this book as well.

The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter by Beatrix Potter

★★★★★

"I am sorry to say that Peter was not very well during the evening.  His mother put him to bed, and made him some camomile tea; and she gave a dose of it to Peter!  'One table-spoonful to be taken at bedtime.'  But Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail had bread and milk and blackberries for supper."

"I remember I use to half believe and wholly play with fairies when I was a child.  What heaven can be more real than to retain the spirit-world of childhood, tempered and balanced by knowledge and common-sense."

These stories are wonderful and quirky and a bit gruesome at times as well!  I very much enjoyed reading them as a child and as a parent to my daughter.  This complete collection contains twenty-three of Ms. Potter's original stories as well as beautiful illustrations.