What I'm Reading #43

"The Kid" by Sapphire is the continuation of the story of Precious and her son, Abdul, which she began in the novel "Push." "Push" was transformed into the movie "Precious" by Lee Daniels to much well earned critical acclaim. "The Kid" begins with an ending: Precious has died of AIDs, and her 9-year-old son, Abdul, is left to fend for himself.

Told in 4 books, this stream of consciousness mostly first person narrative jumps us across Abdul's life from age 9 to 13 to 17 to a murky ending where the compelling confusion in the mind of the protagonist became my own as I struggled to find meaning and hope in a life so beautifully composed amidst a world of indifference and self-interest. Not for the faint of heart, but deeply, powerfully enriching for anyone with a heart.