Customer Reviews

Things IN Between

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

 

 

I was pleseantly surprised when reading this book. These days, books are so carelessly put together with no thoughts of keeping the reader engaged. "Things In Between" kept me engaged. I routed for Cameron and felt his pain...and the ending....you will not be disappointed. Good book, Nathanial!

This was a wonderful story line and I loved the characters. I met Nathanial at a book signing at Howard University and I told him that if the book was good that I would write a review and since I am a woman of my word I must commit. There were great lessons to be learned in the book and I can't wait to pass it on to my Grandson to read.

Barbra

It was a Friday when I heard about "Things in Between" and I bought it with my last few dollars. It was well worth it. I was captured by the great story. All my awake time, when I wasn't doing weekend chores, I was unceasingly reading the book. Books like these make TV a second Choice. I never did get to watch TV that weekend. I very much look forward to reading the author's next work.

Things IN Between is an engaging fast paced read. I was hooked from page one. With real life situations, Mr. Portis created characters that made you feel their pain. He showed how one could make it despite the odds that are stacked against them. I loved Cameron's character. I enjoyed watching him grow through his struggles and beating the odds. This story was woven together very nicely and kept me wanting more.
Kuddos to Mr. Portis on his debut novel.

A fifteen-year-old boy is home alone. But unlike the menacing kid the movie Home Alone characterizes, Cameron Johnson is a quiet teenager living in the projects. He's just trying to boil some water, using an electric skillet, so he can take a bath because once again his mother has not paid the gas bill. It has been a few days since he's seen his crack-addicted mother, who is always out searching for her next hit. At least, that's what he thinks until a white woman and a police officer take him into custody and explain that his mother has been picked up in a vacant crack house and arrested for outstanding theft warrants. For Cameron, this proves to be just the beginning of Things in Between.  
After two months in a children's home, he's finally sent to live with Momma D, an aunt who lives in Alabama. She teaches him how to use good manners, how to speak proper English, instead of slang, and constantly reiterates the value of education and saving money. When his fresh-from-rehab mother demands that he move back home with her, his world is turned upside down, and his absentee father, who lives in the same city with his wife and twin daughters, refuses to provide Cameron with any fatherly support. It's his best friend, Rayshawn, who encourages Cameron to follow his dreams and to make something out of his life. 
His struggles intensify in college when he is forced to use paycheck advances to pay his utility bills. Witnessing a brutal homicide and his mother's relapse, trying to make ends meet and making the grades becomes a daunting task. Nevertheless, the ambitious engineering student is determined to persevere. 
Nathanial Portis's debut is a touching tale about one young man's fervent effort to overcome "things in between" that are standing in the way of his success. With believable characters faced with true-to-life situations, Things In Between is an engaging read. Readers will feel Cameron's pain and cheer his triumphs. The author accurately paints the financial dilemma many college students endure--the challenge of maintaining passing grades while holding down a part-time job. Portis also weaves in an element of suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat. He's definitely an author to watch and I look forward to reading his future works.
Reviewed by Joan Burke Stanford for Loose Leaves Book Review with an actual rating of 3.5 stars

This book was about a young man (Cameron) who is raised in the inner city of Detroit Michigan with his drug strung mother.
After being abandon in his home in the projects Cameron goes to live with his great aunt in another state. After a year of living in a stable home environment with his great aunt, Cameron is sent back to live with his mother in the projects where his mothers drug problem re surface. The book follows Cameron and his best friend (Rayshawn) from youths to adulthood and deals with some serious issues along the way.

This book was an excellent read, very easy to follow and kept my attention from the Intro until the last page. From the first chapter I immediately felt a connection with the main Character (Cameron) and his best friend (Rayshawn) and wanted to find where life would take them, also the story about Erica was excellently written in the intro and re surfaced again mid way through the book and was definitely a wonderful hook.

I was very impressed with how the characters matured through the book but most importantly I loved the introduction of the various characters with such strong and real circumstances.

The story to me brought back how so many children grew up back in the days. It reminded me when I grew up in the projects and had that one family that everyone knew. Cameron Johnson was the type of person whom had so many dreams but so many blocking his dreams.
From the moment he was young, jumping from shelter to shelter. Until the system took him from the home that he knew of. Until Momma D came apart of his life, he would have been lost in the system. But she help him set goals in his life that help him grow. Thru all his trials he had Momma D's setting in his mind. So many young people don't have Momma D in their lives.
His mom was a crack head, drinker, etc....but he never gave up on her. He didn't want to return back to what the pass was but I think it taught him to be strong in himself. His so call friends will never change and he didn't forget where he came from thru his trials time.

I want to thank Nathanial Portis for this book. It brought back so many thinks that I seen and when thru back in the days for me and my family. Nathanial's sounds like he has an old soul. I would tell every young person to read this book because it's a very positive story, that every young person can learn from.

Dee Jacksoon
AAMBC Book Reviews

Cameron Johnson is a Detroit teen just trying to make it out of the hood. He faces many challenges, especially when his mother is more concerned with getting her next hit of crack. Cameron's life changes forever when he suddenly sent to Huntsville, Alabama to live with his Aunt Momma D. Aunt Momma D helps Cameron with the transition from the big city to the country by providing him with the most stable home life that he has ever known. He learns the importance of education and self-respect that carries him through his college years. But Cameron's struggles have just begun when he is forced to make ends meet while going to college full-time without the support of his mother or absentee father. Cameron's best friend Rayshawn is there to give him encouragement to do better. But Rayshawn has his own issues that he needs to deal with in order to become a strong man.

Things In Between is an awe-inspiring novel by Nathanial Portis. Portis expertly delivers a coming-of-age story about a young black male trying to beat the odds. This novel is not your typical getting out of the hood story. Most hood stories involve the characters getting out of the hood by any illegal means necessary. But in this story, Cameron is trying to get out of the hood by focusing on college and rising above getting involved in illegal activities which really makes this novel standout. You will literally root for and want Cameron and Rayshawn to make it. There are many timely issues in this novel such as self-love and self-preservation. This novel is truly a must read for not only adults but for college age young adults as well. Things In Between is a thought-provoking read that puts a refreshing spin on an urban tale.


Reviewed by Radiah Hubbert
for Urban Reviews

Mr. Portis has definately found the secret to keeping the reader captivated and wanting more throughout the entire novel. From beginning to end you are able to connect to each character, feel their pain, sorrows, disappointments, and their joys. After reading this novel the reader can begin to understand some of the struggles that some people must experience in order to succeed, but they can also understand probably the most important lesson of the novel, which is inspiration and getting past the roadblocks (Thing IN Between) to continue in their paths in life. A must read!! Especially for struggling college students!..Keep your eye on the prize! Congratulations Mr. Portis you should be proud of your debut novel!

I enjoyed the book from beginning to end. I emotionally connected to quite a few of the characters in the story. I can not wait for Mr. Portis' next book this fall.