Review: Powerful Read! Tumika Patrice Cain, Say What?? Book Club & Author of Season of Change
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 18, 2014
A Thug’s Redemption by Yani is the very powerful story of six teenagers trying to navigate their world while dealing with typical teenage issues, dysfunctional families, and social pressures all while living in a proverbial urban warzone.  From the first line until the last, ATR had me enthralled.  The story evoked so much emotion, bringing back to my memory my own journey as a teenager, the heartbreak of loss, the hope of dreams yet to be fulfilled.  The characters were so real, feeling like people I either knew or have seen; each sentence playing in my mind like a movie.  I could feel their emotions – their pain, their struggles, their dreams, their love, their hopes, their fears.  Yani has brought forth a powerful message the affects the lives of too many of our children.  While loss is devastating in and of itself, senseless loss is that much more heartbreaking.  Whether one has personally lost a loved one to gun violence, known others who have or seen clips from the news, A Thug’s Redemption brings it all home, making it real.  This book has given a real glimpse into the minds and lifestyles of urban youth and the day to day struggles they face just to receive an education and make it safely into adulthood.As we all have, these teens learn the lessons that people come into your life for a reason, a season or for a lifetime.  And for those who are not meant to endure an entire lifetime, their presence brings lessons and messages always meant to evoke some sort of change.  There remains a choice whether to embrace those lessons or proceed on business as usual.  Sometimes the lessons that have the deepest and most lasting impact are those that cost us the most to learn.Yani is definitely a literary voice with a story and a message to tell.