Customer Reviews

Broken China

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Ages 14 and up. From the author of When Kambia Elaine Flew in From Neptune, Lori Aurelia Williams brings a novel dealing with a young mother's struggles and much more. China is 14 balancing going to school full time just barely hanging on and trying to raise her 2 year old daughter almost single handedly, until death is brought upon the family. China is forced to find a job that will require her to make lots of money to make ends meet. Unfortunately, her only option is Obsidian Queens, the local gentlemen's club, which is the only job they will allow a 14 year old high school dropout and that will pay big. Thus, begins her journey down a path filled with detours along the way. Will she break free from her trailing problems or will she collide head on with them?

Complete with lessons on courage, determination, youth, love, and motherhood, Ms. Williams captures China as a person every mother or daughter can relate to. Broken China is for everyone that knows a mother's love has no boundaries, a theory China proves time and time again. This tear jerking novel is sure to touch a place in the hearts of all who believe courage can mend a broken heart.

I bought this book for my 14 year old daughter. My daughter found out a friend of hers had read and enjoyed the book also. She enjoyed the book so much that she told me I should read it too. I read the book and we enjoyed talking about it together. We discussed how things could have been different with China and how she had the emotional support from her family to lean on and didn't. Many lessons about growing up to fast. Watching others make mistakes can often help you not make your own. Wonderful read.

Broken China is a very sad book. This book follows a teen named China who has a baby with her best friend, Trip. Trip was always helping China out but he didn't want the baby to know him as the daddy or take the baby home. China named her daughter Amina but Trip called her Bunny. One day China dropped Amina off at her sitter's house because she was about to go to school but after a few hours of school she got a heartbreaking call....The sitter had called to say Amina died because of a high fever. So with death comes a funeral and with a funeral comes money problems. China felt so bad about the death of Amina that she picked the highest priced coffin to put her baby in. But how was she going to pay all that money? This book will take you through the trials and tribulations of what China would do to pay for her child's funeral. :) MUST READ!!

Reviewed By Tianna - Urban Teens Read

This little book really touched my heart from cover to cover. The images were vivid in my mind. I loved all the characters and their flaws. Trip seemed to stand by China's side no matter what dumb decision she made. And Uncle Simon loved her and just wanted the best for her. And that Brother Agee, I would have never guessed! I'm going to stop before I give away the ending but it was a great read.

The plot of the story is what attracted me to the story. To be honest I read the first 3 pages and put it down, but then I started reading it again and I'm happy I finished reading it. The story itself was good but I was expecting a lot more. Maybe that's just on me. It did open my eyes and make me grateful for situations that I am in, unlike the protagonist who has been through so much in her 14 years. I really felt her emotions when she was at her "lowest point" I don't want to go deep into the story but all in all I think it's a book worth reading. For readers 14 and above.

Growing up too Fast!

When some families don't discipline there children they end up in predicaments or situations that you many have never thought could have happened. When it gets to this point it can be difficult to try to gain control back of those children. So many people are lucky to have good caring parents who care enough about them to worry about them or to have a say so in what they do or where they go and don't let them run wild is great thing to have. This book is around the fact of growing up to fast, and having to learn with no one there teaching you.

China grew up in a middle class part of town not the best in the city around gangs, drugs, and violence. China came from a single parent family and she never knew her father, and her mother was all she had. When china was younger her mother got cancer and ended up dyeing and Chinas uncle Simon had to come and live and help take care of her. Chinas uncle Simon was handicap in a wheel chair and not to much help to china except to be there for her. She mostly had to survive on her own and make her own decisions. When china got caught up in the wrong situation and doing stuff that a young girl her age shouldn't do china ends up pregnant at the age of twelve. China does every thing in her power to be the best mom that she can be for her daughter and does the best she can so her child doesn't go without.

When china was doing her best by her and her child and going to school the worst possible thing that could happen happened. Her precious daughter Amina suddenly dies. China is devastated and doesn't want to believe that this has happened to her child after she had tried so hard to make it work even though she was so young. After feeling guilty about going to school and leaving her baby with a sitter and her suddenly dieing she can't help but blame herself. So in a pursuit to give back to Amina for feeling guilty about her dieing she tries her best to give her the best funeral that money can buy. Seeing as China doesn't work and doesn't have a job it's hard to buy without money. China only being fourteen when this tragedy happened she really was to young to get a job that paid the amount that she needed to pay back the funeral home. So trying and not getting very far she turns to the last resource a strip club called Obisidian Queens.

When china starts working at Obisidian Queens she just worked as a hostess at the front desk. China thought it was weird that when she started working there that the managers were never there and they never asked to see her papers saying that she was aloud to work. But with china receiving the money that she's receiving and knowing that she is getting her daughters funeral home bill paid off it didn't bother her to work there as long as it's for her daughter. China being the only one not to go see Aminas's grave depressed Aminas father Trip. China never really pressured Trip to be apart of Aminas life because she didn't want to take away any of his childhood and didn't want him to feel tied down. China never went to see her daughter because she remember going to see her mother's grave and just imaging her mother being devoured by maggots and worms and she didn't want to imagine her daughters beautiful body in that condition. So when Aminas father didn't approve of her working at Obisidian Queens she just disregarded what he wanted and reassured him that she was just a hostess, and he continued to let her work there. When all of a sudden the stone that China paid so much money for ended up being abolished and destroyed. So when brother Agee, the funeral home owner told her there was no insurance on the stone, China had to replace it. When she had to replace the stone it added the same price to the current bill she already had. So China was now working tons more hours and when she figured out she's wasn't getting the money fast enough to pay the bill off by being a hostess she decided to try stripping. When the time came for china to strip she got nervous and chickened out of dancing. When she got off the stage she left Obsidian Queens and quit. She finally realized that the person that got her the job up at Obsidian Queens was the same person form the funeral home. Brother Agee was a part manager of the club and he was also owner of the funeral home. He lied to her about the stone needing to be replaced,it was the same stone he just wanted her to continue to work at the club. So in the end she quit Obsidian Queens and almost visited her daughter's grave.

The lesson that can be learned from this story is to not take advantage of your parents and never give up just when things get ruff. If there is a situation you get in to don't feel guilty to ask for help. Broken China is a great lesson-learning book and teaches respect and morals.

If anyone is looking for a book about things not always being a piece of cake or a walk in the park Broken China is perfect. For Teenage girls this book shows how you have to work at the things you want and not everyone is going to be on your side and that not everyone is honest. Mothers of teenage daughters would respect and love to share this book with there girls.