Harlem on Lock [Paperback]

Karen Williams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2008

Harlem is a beautiful, smart, and funny seventeen year old who lives in the projects with her drug addicted parents. The addiction is so far gone Harlem must fend for herself, and at times do a little hustling of her own to feed their habit. As if things can t get worse, soon Harlem s world is turned upside down when her mother dies from an overdose and her father pulls the ultimate betrayal by prostituting her. Harlem is pushed into an adult world and into the hands of a kingpin named Chief, who gives Harlem every luxury she has ever dreamed of and more pain and suffering than she can stand. But when an old crush and a crime lord show up and a turf war is waged, Harlem finds herself in the middle. HARLEM ON LOCK is a story of love, revenge, and redemption.

Product Details

• Paperback: 259 pages
• Publisher: QBoro Books (January 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193396734X
• ISBN-13: 978-1933967349
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,060,508 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Black Girl Lost, March 18, 2008

By 

Divamami "Divamami" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harlem on Lock (Paperback)

Harlem Scott is like most teenage girls. She gets good grades in school. She has dreams of going off to college to become a social worker. The only difference is that both of her parents are drug addicts. Harlem On Lock by Karen Williams tells the story of Harlem growing up in the projects of California.

Harlem and her parents moved to California when she was very young. They moved from New York so that her parents could try to kick their drug habit. But like most people with an addiction, it is not an easy one to break. With her parents so far gone, Harlem is left to take care of herself. At the tender age of seventeen, Harlem witness the death of her mother, Aja, to a drug overdose.

Shortly after the death of her mother, Harlem suffers abuse at the hands of her father to support his drug habit. After being tied to a bed for days and repeatedly raped by multiple men for money, Harlem is finally rescued by Chief. Chief is a notorious drug dealer that runs the projects that she lives in. He takes her to the hospital and once she is released, she is taken to live in Chief's home as his new woman. While there, she begins to dream of a life that was once unimaginable. Being the woman of a drug lord has its ups and downs, everything she could have ever wanted, yet punishment for every little infraction. Will Harlem be able to survive this new world or will she succumb to the pitfalls?

Harlem On Lock was a very interesting read. It showed that everything that glitters is not gold. At times it was difficult to read some of the abuse that the character suffered because the scenes were so vivid in my mind. Karen Williams penned a wonderful debut novel that will be a hit with fans of street lit.



Reviewed by Shavon Williams
APOOO BookClub

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tale of a ghetto princess, March 15, 2008

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harlem on Lock (Paperback)

Harlem lives in the projects of Cali with her parents, both of whom are heroin-addicts. Adjusting to the day to day life that is hers, she is a straight-A student in school, although she is not able to dress like most of the students she attends school with and on most days, she does not have anything to eat for dinner. She loves her parents dearly and looks at their addiction as a sickness they are fighting to overcome. Her only friend, Savior, is a neighborhood drug runner who looks out for her like an older brother. When he confesses his feelings for Harlem and a promise to run away together, she holds him to it.

After her mother dies of a drug overdose, her unstable albeit, comfortable environment is turned upside down. When father betrays her in the most heinous of ways, she is rescued by Chief, one of the biggest drug dealers in Los Angeles. Expecting Savior to have her back, she is surprised to learn he has left - without her. With no where to go, she is grateful to Chief for taking her in, until she is introduced to his sinister side. As a drug war breaks out over possession of the streets, Chief is surprised to find that two individuals are interested in Harlem for totally different reasons.

HARLEM ON LOCK is an engaging story that has been told numerous times. I kept looking for elements that would make the story stand out from the rest of the tales centered on the young ghetto princess who gets taken in by the ruthless drug dealer, but it was more of the same fare. The plot and characters were totally predictable which made this just an average read for me. Aside from this being a recycled tale, the novel was well written and I will revisit Williams again.

Reviewed by Paula Henderson
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harlem's Savior, February 7, 2008

By 

gorjis1 - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Harlem on Lock (Paperback)

Reared by drug-addicted parents, Harlem is a 17-year-old girl looking for a way out of a life of poverty and pain.

After being rescued from her father by a man named Chief, Harlem goes from one abusive situation to another. Harlem now has a fancy roof over head, plenty of food on the table, and new clothes on her back, but nothing prepares her for Chief's wrath.

The one person Harlem thought she could depend on is a young man named Savior, who promised to scoop her up and take her to a better place. Now that Harlem is in Chief's clutches, living happily ever after with Savior seems like just a dream.

HARLEM ON LOCK is an emotional and suspenseful tale that engaged me from beginning to end. First-time author Karen Williams did an excellent job creating a story with unforgettable, life-like characters.