The Life I'm In
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
The powerful and long-anticipated companion to The Skin I'm In, Sharon Flake's bestselling modern classic, presents the unflinching story of Char, a young woman trapped in the underworld of human trafficking.My feet are heavy as stones when I walk up the block wondering why I can't find my old self.In The Skin I'm In, readers saw into the life of Maleeka Madison, a teen who suffered from the ridicule she received because of her dark skin color. For decades fans have wanted to know the fate of the bully who made Maleeka's life miserable, Char.Now in Sharon Flake's latest and unflinching novel, The Life I'm In, we follow Charlese Jones, who, with her raw, blistering voice speaks the truths many girls face, offering insight to some of the causes and conditions that make a bully. Turned out of the only home she has known, Char boards a bus to nowhere where she is lured into the dangerous web of human trafficking. Much is revealed behind the complex system of men who take advantage of vulnerable teens in the underbelly of society. While Char might be frightened, she remains strong and determined to bring herself and her fellow victims out of the dark and back into the light, reminding us why compassion is a powerful cure to the ills of the world.Sharon Flake's bestselling, Coretta Scott King Award-winning novel The Skin I'm In was a game changer when it was first published more than twenty years ago. It redefined young adult literature by presenting characters, voices, and real-world experiences that had not been fully seen. Now Flake offers readers another timely and radical story of a girl on the brink and how her choices will lead her to either fall, or fly.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this candid, riveting companion to her 1998 novel The Skin I'm In, Coretta Scott King Medalist Flake explores the psyche of Maleeka's former tormentor, 16-year-old Black orphan Charlese "Char" Jones, who, after consecutive expulsions from four schools, is kicked out by 27-year-old sister Juju. Headed to join her grandparents in Alabama, Char changes Greyhound routes, deciding instead to trail a teen mother and her baby whom she befriends. When the mother abandons her child with Char, fiercely independent Char does her best, acquiring lodging, food, and baby supplies. But when money runs out, she grows desperate—enough to fall prey to smooth-talking Anthony, a man willing to cover all expenses if she joins his prostitution ring. Now all Char wants is to return to Juju, but there's no escape. Strong first-person narration shows the deterioration of Char's attitude and self-esteem as she struggles to survive. Representing the plight of many, Char's narrative presents a cruel underbelly of society; returning readers will relish Maleeka's and Miss Saunders's reappearances, but any reader can appreciate this novel's indelible impact. Ages 14–up.
