Customer Reviews

Leaving Atlanta

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Leaving Atlanta is a must-read novel that exudes with honesty, compassion, and literary beauty. Told in alternate voices from school-aged kids who give their account of the time period during the Atlanta child disappearances, the story treads through the familiar: moms who lie, fathers who try to protect and secure their family, kids who belittle each other one day, and kids who befriend each other when they have nobody else to talk to. Tayari Jones is a talented writer who employs simple yet profound prose to tell her story. Leaving Atlanta is a wonderful accomplishment, a novel that speaks to the heart and mind of kids and grown-ups alike.

Leaving Atlanta, Tayari Jones wonderful debut novel, brings to life one of the most terrible periods in Atlanta's history, the time when a serial killer was snatching and murdering children at the rate of one a month. While much has been written and said about the hunt for the killer, his probable motives, the impact on the city's image, this book takes a completely different approach by taking us back to that time through the eyes of the children who lived through it. Their fear, their vulnerability and their absolute "kidness" even in the face of the horror all around them come through clearly in Jones' book. Without sensationalizing the story in any way, she makes you feel the children's fear of a new crossing guard, even if he is an emissary from the guardian angels, come south to protect them. Jones' has a gift for the dialogue of her youthful characters and never strikes a false note when they talk to each other or to the adults scrambling to protect them. A pleasure to read and a unique perspective on those terrible times that still haunt all of us who could not find a way to protect our children from a danger we will never understand.

I lived in Atlanta during the time of the real-life Atlanta Child Murders. I was the father of a son and daughter who were about the age of the children who are the main characters in this novel. At that time, all I could think about was keeping them safe. I never wondered what they were thinking during this time until I read this arresting new novel.

LEAVING ATLANTA gives voice to the thoughts of a generation. I felt like I was reliving this time, but this time, I had a better understanding of my children. This is a must read for any and all parents.

Leaving Atlanta is an absolutely awesome reading experience. Who can forget the child abductions and murders in Atlanta in 1979? It was a fearful and trying time for all, but for the children, who lived in Atlanta, it had to be one of the most frightening things they experienced. The author Tayari Jones does an excellent job of getting into the minds and thoughts of the children as they try to process what was happening to these children, and more so when the victim was someone they knew.

For the children in this book, Tasha, Rodney and Octavia, being in the fifth grade is hard. They surely had enough on their minds just with trying to fit in, make friends, puberty, and pleasing their parents. All the parents are talking about the child murders and trying to figure out how to keep their children safe.

Each child story is unique, each living environment different, but with each child there is that vulnerability which made you just want to wrap your arms around them and shelter them from all that was bad. This moving novel is one that I will be highly recommending. I will be on the lookout for future books by this author.

This novel could not have come at a beter time. Although the child abductions at the center of this work happened over twenty years ago, the subject is relevant today. Everyday on the news, it seems that more children have been stolen from their families. This book takes us back to a two-year period in Atlanta when almost thirty children were abducted. Jones lets us see the children's perspective on this. Lets us see the way that children are afraid and the ways that they cope. This is a novel that will make you love our children with all your hert and protect them with all your strength. Tayari Jones is a stunning writer. I hope to be reading her books for years to come.

I remember this period in Atlanta so reading the story took me back to that time. Tayari's colorful writing puts you back in that place in time and allows you to experience the normal, everyday and typical childhood experiences of a few young children. She show's how fear weighs upon their minds and swells their hearts. She poetically shows how a typical day can end up being the last day. I loved her writing style. And although I didn't care for the story written in second person, it's definitely due to my reading preference and not the author's writing style. I recommend this as an enjoyable, yet thought provoking book for anyone.

I TRULY DID. AT THE TIME OF THESE EVENTS I WAS A BABY/TODDLER SO THIS GAVE ME VERY GREAT DESCRIPTION OF WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE A CHILD IN ATLANTA DURING THOSE TIMES. THIS BOOK LEFT ME TO ASK "WILL THERE BE CONTINUATION OF THIS TO FIND HOW THIS IMPACTED SOME OF THE CHARACTER'S LIVES IN THE FUTURE". IT WAS SO REAL I REALLY WANTED TO KNOW. KUDOS ON A JOB WELL DONE!!!

I found the book to be a wonderful depiction of my own childhood. Although the tragic events of a muderous time for a city which I love so dearly was presented, I found the simple pleasures of my childhood in Atlanta unfold before my eyes with such skill that I had to make myself put the book down. Tasha, Octavia and Rodney were all friends each of us could easily relate.Fifth grade was one of the most memorable times.Growing up in the projects of Atlanta myself, I also knew a few boys who like Jashante, were only trying to make a few bucks, not find death.A bouquet to Ms. Jones, for revealing a good side to a city shadowed by the darkness of these terrible deaths.

Lots of 5-star reviews here, and no doubt about it, mine too. This book is a smooth read with subtle undertones, so slow down and catch them. I agree with another reviewer that it would've been nice to spend more time with the children focused on in each section, but then I realized, that's probably part of the point. Such kids were taken from the world too soon, and having them taken from the pages too soon makes the reader feel the loss all that much more keenly. Excellent novel.

Tayari Jones tells the story through the eyes and ears of three children. Tasha, Rodney and Octavia are the fithgraders coming of age during the time of the Atlanta child murders. Each tell of the trials and tribulations at home, school and during their personal time. There is sadness, fear and tears especially when children they know start disapearing! It was fun to read what the children thought about their parents and teachers, it took me back to my own childhood. Octavia is my favorite out of the three. She seemed wise beyond her years. Tayari Jones did a great job but I felt the story could have gone on for a while longer. I got emotionally attached to the kids and wanted to know how their lives turn out. Over all this book was very good.