Customer Reviews

Dirty Little Angels

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(109)
3 star:		(43)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I enjoyed reading this book. Though it was dark and depressing it portrayed the harsh realities of inner city life. I felt that the author did a good job of writing from a 16 year old girl's perspective. The broken family and determination of the children to struggle through for something better had me rooting for them to succeed. The book was well paced and easy to read. Tulsa keeps the reader intrigued and wanting to find out what happens next.

Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa is not an ordinary novel, it is gritty and sends many messages to the reader. The story is told from the view point of a young girl in the American South. We have Hailey Trosclair, raised by a father who is burdened with unemployment and a mother who is too preoccupied with being miserable. Hailey is forced to endure real life lessons outside of the house- things as mundane as death and shallow as popularity.

Tusa's writing style is magnificent. It is confrontational and the metaphors are haunting. (After my Kindle charges I will have to come back and include some!) The characters will try to justify their actions, both good and bad, through God. I found myself constantly saying, "No! Don't do that!" and wishing that someone would take the narrator away from everything she had to deal with. I can't relate to the characters, they're needy and selfish. That being said, I still enjoyed them and their sad realities.

Talk about a dysfunctional family. Mom? Depressed. Dad? Alcoholic. Brother? Trouble maker. Geesh, where does that leave Hailey? No wonder she is engrossed with herself. Let me just say that this book really made me thankful for the environment I grew up in.

Some have compared this novel to classics such as "To Kill a Mocking Bird." I totally don't think this will be a classic by any means, but the author does tell a compelling story. I just wish he would have given his story more time- it's a little under 200 pages. This isn't a book I will be quick to forget. If you're looking for a happy ending, don't pick up this book... otherwise, go for it. It's a quick, solid read that will take you on one helluva ride.

I read this book with a bit of trepidation. From the description I was intrigued by the characters, but I had a feeling the story would not have a happy ending. As soon as I was done reading the book I thought to myself; "Well, I knew it wouldn't be pretty, I don't know why I read it". As I sat there pondering what I had just read, I realized how much I had come to care about the main character, a teen named Hailey. The author did a great job of drawing the reader into her life and into the thought processes going on in her head. I was drawn into her life through the first person telling of the story. Even though Hailey is fictional teen she represents many teens all over the country that have been basically forgotten in life's struggles. Families have difficulties, circumstances jack you around, and unless you want to always be a victim, you need to take your destiny into your own hands. This is what Hailey did at the end of the story.
While her choices of how to take control of her life may have been unusual, she finally understood she had to make those choices on her own. In spite of the sad circumstances and choices she may have made, she was finally taking what little control of her life that she could. In that respect I liked the ending, because she made that decision and acted on it, even though it was in a different way than you would have guessed.

Good Reads Summary:
Set in the slums of New Orleans, among clusters of crack houses and abandoned buildings, Dirty Little Angels is the story of sixteen year old Hailey Trosclair. When the Trosclair family suffers a string of financial hardships and a miscarriage, Hailey finds herself looking to God to save her family. When her prayers go unanswered, Hailey puts her faith in Moses Watkins, a failed preacher and ex-con. Fascinated by Moses' lopsided view of religion, Hailey, and her brother Cyrus, begin spending time down at an abandoned bank that Moses plans to convert into a drive-through church. Gradually, though, Moses' twisted religious beliefs become increasingly more violent, and Hailey and Cyrus soon find themselves trapped in a world of danger and fear from which there may be no escape.

The author really captures the young adult mind-set and feeling in this novel. The novel is very "dark", even depressing; however, the author means to represent a certain reality in many societies. The reader will have to restrain her/himself throughout the book from wanting to shake the characters and tell them what to do, however, this is likely the author's intention. A good author evokes a response in the reader, a quality Tusa has down pat. Hailey makes for a good protagonist, definitely eliciting sympathy in the reader. Her brother is arrested at least three times for stealing, yet doesn't attempt to change his lifestyle and doesn't consider Hailey at all. Hailey's mother is no role-model and constantly depressed; Hailey is surrounded by drinking, fights, drugs, etc... The author's writing style kept the reader interested throughout the majority of the book, some of his words and/or phrases were a tad redundant in areas, but otherwise good. The reader may feel that there is no "guide" in this novel, a trait that could be seen as negative, but the author crafts into a positive trait-the book builds upon itself, the plot unfolding slowly and the characters developing throughout the novel. Hailey gives an "assumed to be" true account of the events surrounding her. The ending could have used more explanation and detail, but the reader will be mostly satisfied.

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When I first started to read this book, I found that it was walking that line between darkness and light. It carried you through the turmoil of a teenage girls life as she watched all she knew and loved change, the innocence was stripped away from her and the betrayal she felt not only from someone that was close but, friends and companions throughout the story rivaled that of some memories through my own child hood.

It is a fine read and one I personally commend the author on writing he took the time to develop the character and give her the life. So much so I agree with my sister on this review in saying that there were moments it was she that I saw sitting there writing down her memories as if they were her final confession and offering to those Dirty Little Angels that Chloe her brief encounter spoke of.

In fear of giving to much away I too will draw my opinion and review closed saying only that it's a must read if not for the perfection of a finely written story than to sedate your curiosity and see that this author is well on his way to being one of my personal favorites.

I think it's been a long time since I have read a story that took me back to my teenage years. Hailey, on the cusp of womanhood goes through so many emotions a lot of which I remember myself experiencing at that age. Chris Tusa has done a remarkable job capturing the depth of feeling and turmoil of a 16 year old girl from a middle-class family background rift with alcoholism, depression, and on the verge of complete poverty, struggling to keep them all together while giving up a part of her own sanity.

At times during reading this book there were so many thoughts that paralleled with things I could remember from my own time as a 16 year old that it was simply amazing to read. I felt as if Chris had stood up and allowed Hailey to take his seat at the computer and tell her story first hand. It's rare you find a man able to so effectively capture what it was really like to be a teenage girl in Louisiana trying so hard to hold it all together while questioning not only her faith but her own place in the grand scheme of life.

This book was a fantastic read and I would definitely recommend it to any one that enjoys stories that are real and gritty, that can grab you up and toss you into the lives of these very real characters. Without giving away too much I will only say, caution when reading this book... be prepared for some dark times in the life of Hailey Trosclair.

Chris Tusa's "Dirty Little Angels" is not for the faint of heart. It is a gritty and raw novel, depicting life in the inner city. Tusa presents a stark perspective, real in its portrayal, and never sugar-coated. This is the quality that makes Tusa's novel worth a read. Although, it doesn't hurt the book any to have wonderful characterization and an interesting plot, either.

Our protagonist is 16 year old Hailey Trosclair, a teenager who has seen her share of misery in her short life. Hailey narrates the plot, and introduces us to her family. There's the father, a selfish, unfaithful, selfish man who also happens to be an alcoholic - he is responsible for the family's financial ruin. Then there is the mother, wallowing in her misery after a miscarriage, and leaving her kids to grieve in a wholly different manner. The older brother, who is protective and life's realities have turned him tough. There is the witty, comic-relief of a friend in Verma. And finally, there's Moses - Moses Watkins, a man who Hailey comes to trust and puts her faith in. All Moses is concerned about, though, is starting a "drive-thru" Church. It speaks to the awful psychological condition of our friend Hailey, that the man she has faith in, happens to be a man who is a religious con-artist.

If you're looking for fluff to read, this book is not for you. If you're looking for a wonderfully written novel, with characters that are perfect in their imperfections, hauntingly real and beautiful - than this might be the book to pick up. The story is interesting, the character's perspectives are presented in a unique manner, the author's voice is strong and clear in presenting its point and he makes some great usage of metaphors that had me clamoring to write them down somewhere. Also, its clear that Tusa has spent some time in the places that he describes, because he not only describes them with stunning precision, but also with passion. I had never before read Chris Tusa's work, but after this novel, I will be sure to follow his works closely.

I did like the story, that's why I gave it a 4. It's a haunting story about a teenage girl with trouble all around her and no one to turn to. Her brother is insistent on screwing up his life, her parents are focused on their own problems. She is alone and very depressed. It does jump a bit, and I would have to go back trying to figure out how he got from point A to point F. But coming from the drugged out depressed perspective maybe it was supposed to be that way.

Good story, it is dark and will stick with you. I think worth it.

When the Trosclair family suffers a string of financial hardships and a miscarriage, Hailey Trosclair looks to Moses Watkins, a failed preacher and ex-con for guidance. Gradually, though, Moses's twisted religious beliefs become increasingly more violent, and Hailey soon finds herself trapped in a world of danger from which there may be no escape.

Dirty Little Angels is narrated in the first person by Hailey a 16 year old seemingly typical teenager from a Southern town in New Orleans. Hailey has a good heart and is just beginning to step out and be part of the crowd. However this crowd consists of her promiscuous and plastic girlfriend Meridian, and her brothers friends. One of them a seedy twisted man named Moses. Moses is a nut case with off the wall religious beliefs who has delusions of opening up a drive through church in a run down bank. More than once Hailey tags along with her brother and Moses only to get entangled in a web of violence.

Hailey's dysfunctional family consists of a distant mother who is wrapped up in her own depressive state, while her father uses alcohol to drown out his responsibilities, unemployment and his distant wife. Hailey seems to look for love and attention in the wrong way and loses her virginity to her girlfriends loser boyfriend. She finds solace in two people a man who is dying and her diabetic aunt. Sadly I found this story very realistic. As so many parents are wrapped up in their own lives and fail to reach out to their children and teach them morals. I believe Tusa used this setting to bring to realization the fact that life is what you make of it and environment has more influence on your people lives than you think. The ending I found surreal however Hailey was protecting one of the most important people in her life, her brother. Which shows that love can be possible even in a dysfunctional family.

To purchase this book or read other reviews visit Smashwords. Dirty Little Angels can also be found in paperback on amazon. *note: The subject matter in this book is for adults, not for teens, this book contains sexual content, drugs and violence.

*A Big Thank You goes out to Chris Tusa for providing this book for my reveiw.

This book was wonderful to read! It was definitely a dark story and pretty disturbing in parts. I was disappointed by the length of the book but I am thankful I was able to read it through the Members Giveaway Progam. It had my attention from the first page. I was rooting for Hailey the whole book. I wish the book didn't end how it did because I want to know what happened to her and her family.