Review: A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ABOUT THE `HOOD
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 18, 2014
Once I picked this book up I couldn't put it down again. The author has a unique talent that not only grabs your attention and holds it firmly, but in my case reached into my chest, ripped my heart out and placed it firmly in the hands of the central character Kevin, as he grew from a young lad to a man.This is a unique story of a poor neighborhood in an unidentified city and how WW11 and the ensuing decades brought massive changes that changed American culture forever.  Mike Sposs cleverly weaves in and out of the lives of the people in the neighborhood, the impact on them and how members of families turn in different directions to survive, or not, as the case may be.  Opportunities are there for those like Kevin who make the most of them, but some fall by the wayside.Kevin has always hoped his platonic friendship with Pat would turn into more, but it is many years before she bares her soul about what life was like in those times being the child of mixed blood, as she uses the magic of music to help lift her out of its clutches.As the story progressed it offered me an explanation I can finally get my head around, for mob violence turning on its own and wreaking such destruction. "Riots offer opportunities to settle old scores too," Mr Sharpe points out.It is a poignant story, told in a very matter of fact way and without judgment, which allows each character a voice of their own.Great reading, I highly recommend it and look forward to more of Mike's work.