My Life Is All I Have [Paperback]

V. Anthony Rivers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 2006

Packed with suspense and vivid descriptions of some of Los Angeles' toughest streets, My Life Is All I Have tells the gripping story of a young girl who will do anything to leave her troubled past behind her.

Leesha Tyler is about to commit robbery when memories from her past start to consume her. Leesha looks back on her life and remembers the chaotic household she lived in -- with her mother and herself always at odds. Thoughts of the death of her grandmother and other untimely events only sadden Leesha further and make her more determined that the only solution to her problems is to get out of Los Angeles. And the only way to do that, or so she thinks, is to commit armed robbery.

My LifeIs All I Have is a timely piece of fiction that paints a candid, upfront portrait of a section of Los Angeles known as "The Jungle." West Coast readers will welcome the familiar settings and others will enjoy a realistic slice of Los Angeles life. With echoes of The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah and Warmest December by Bernice McFadden, this novel shows how decisions one individual makes can alter many lives -- a perfect blend of contemporary fiction and street-lit flair.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is a cross between literary and street fiction with the emotions and realness of growing up in the hood."

-- Shelia M. Gross, Essence bestselling author

"My LifeIs All I Have is an astounding tale of street life and a powerful message of consequence. This story is intriguing until the very end."

-- Jamise L. Dames, national bestselling author

About the Author

V. Anthony Rivers is the author of Daughter by Spirit, Everybody Got Issues and My Life Is All I Have. He is a contributor to Zane's Love Is Never Painless.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (March 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593090579
• ISBN-13: 978-1593090579
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,758,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm proud to say that I am an author. My name is V. Anthony Rivers author of Daughter By Spirit, Everybody Got Issues, and My Life Is All I Have. I also have stories featured in various anthologies; Sistergirls.com, Chocolate Flava, Truth Be Told, and Love Is Never Painless. I have quite a few novels in the works but the one most talked about thanks to my agent, Tee C. Royal is an epic story entitled, Until Again. In essence, its a story about love picking up where it once left off generations ago. It's an amazing journey for the mind that will no doubt touch your heart as well as your soul.

I grew up in and around Los Angeles, California with the exception of my last two years of highschool which were spent at Madison High in Houston, Texas. That was a great experience during that time. I learned a lot and probably developed a better appreciation for LA because I missed being out here. Over the years I've learned that I am truly blessed with the best of both worlds because of my strong connection to Texas and being a native of southern California.

I currently live in Van Nuys where I love every minute of it even on days when the weather is scorching hot and all I can do is type on the computer while enjoying the fact that I have a great air conditioning system like I'm doing this very moment. *smile*

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wake up Momma - Your Ruining My Life, April 20, 2006

By 

Tina Brooks Mckinney (Atlanta) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Life Is All I Have (Paperback)

I started this book without any knowledge about its contents. This book completely surprised me. This is the story of a young girl Leesha, struggling to find her way out of an abusive environment created by her mother. Leesha's grandmother was her anchor giving her all the love that was missing from her relationship with her mother. When her mother's latest love interest moved in, Leesha became a hostage in her own home. Grammy was her salvation. When death came knocking Leesha loses the one person that loved her beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Torn between the need to get a quick fix to her living arrangements, Leesha meets two very different men that become protective of her. One was leading the ganaster life and the other was a geek. I don't want to give away too much about this book but I guess what surprised me most about this book was the lack of sex. While Leesha entertains the idea of stripping, her protectors keep that life away from her. The book is very moving and leaves so many unanswered questions that I feel V. Anthony could easily do a sequel. Big ups to V. I totally enjoyed this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Is That All?, December 20, 2006

By 

JustLovHer "JustLovHer" - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Life Is All I Have (Paperback)

I always get a good laugh when books are compared to the likeness of The Coldest Winter Ever with hope that readers will be impressed. My Life Is All I Have is one-hundred pages too long and contains non-stop babble from a whiny teenager with a shockingly bad attitude. Leesha made me want to slap her! There's nothing likable about this character at all. It's hard for the reader to want what's best for her.

So life isn't a bed of roses. Do something about it! Reach out to your estranged father rather than push him away. Especially since that was the final wish of her dearly departed beloved grandmother. The author didn't do a convincing job writing from a female perspective. Leesha lacked emotion. As bitter as she was, I couldn't feel her pain or even envision it. The prologue of the book contradicted with the actual chapters. Didn't Leesha refer to Blaze as Scottie? The character Treyvon was ridiculous and unbelievable. After the fruitless robbery scheme and reckless gun behavior, Leesha speaks intelligently for the first time and then she's off to God knows where with cash that won't last unless it's invested and a high school diploma with no job skills whatsoever. Nice!

This book sends the wrong message to teens growing up poor and/or in broken households point blank. (no pun intended)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Growing Up In the Concrete Jungle, November 18, 2006

By 

Lena M. Willis "luv2read" (San Francisco Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Life Is All I Have (Paperback)

In this "Set It Off" meets "Boyz in the Hood" tale, My Life is Not My Own, author V. Anthony Rivers depicts the day-to-day life of a lonely girl named Leesha living in the area of Los Angeles known as "the Jungle". Leesha's life is centered on her grandmother, or "Grammy", as she has never known her father, and she and her mother are far from close. She also befriends Scottie, a young gangster, who looks out for her and treats her like a big brother, even to the point of risking his life and freedom.

Rivers paints a good picture of Leesha's surroundings; the reader will definitely feel as if they are in the heart of "the Jungle". However, the author does not provide enough criteria to establish the faulty relationship between Leesha and her mother, especially since Leesha's grandmother was an absolute angel walking on earth. It was also difficult for this reader to believe the choices that Leesha made - one day, she is g trying to finish high school and then go on to college, and then she wakes up wanting to be a criminal. It is just not clear what the turning point for her was.

The storyline was difficult to follow because it just went on and on. It took too many words or too much dialogue to give different scenes, which got to be frustrating. In addition, the author tried to put the reader into the mid-90's era by giving examples of what people were wearing or what music was playing but the lingo was more conducive to 2006 (i.e. "ya feel me" after ever other sentence by Scottie and "getting your mack on"). With a clearer storyline, more intense character development and research, it would have been a better read.

Lena Willis
APOOO BookClub