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Out of Innocence (Paperback)

by Dan Skelton (Author) "Recently, the small high school where I have taught literature and composition for fifteen years buzzed over an event both scandalous and violent..." (more)
Key Phrases: goose boy, Ricky Lee, Faye Louise, Audie Curry (more...)

5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In Out of Innocence, ten-year-old Chris Curry, the eldest of Audie Curry’s four children—all by different fathers—struggles to maintain some sense of normalcy for himself and his three siblings. This is no easy job as audacious Audie, a planet without orbit, free-falls through the universe, dragging her four little moons in the wake of her destruction. Each dalliance with a new man and a new life in a new town for a new beginning ends up in the same sort of emotional rubble. The town of Halion and her latest “one true love,” Ricky Lee Steed, are exceptions only in the sense that they precipitate the most ruinous destruction. If not for Halion psychic Faye Louise Jacobs and her husband, J.Y., Chris would be doomed; however, with their help, he has a fighting chance to rise above the booze and drugs, the hatred and hopelessness, the predators and abuse, and the callousness and mean-spirited manipulations of a small Southern town.

Product Details

Paperback: 244 pages
Publisher: PublishAmerica (June 13, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1413772730
ISBN-13: 978-1413772739
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,231,093 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
Recently, the small high school where I have taught literature and composition for fifteen years buzzed over an event both scandalous and violent. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
goose boy

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Ricky Lee, Faye Louise, Audie Curry, Brother Crutchfield, Jesus Christ, Sonny Man, Father Lenowski, Little Rock, Brad Hardy, Brother Vachel, Officer Slaven, Burger Barn, Coach Blanchard, Caney Village, Center Street, Nazareth College, Mac Blanchard, Chesty Chicken, College Avenue, Granny Steed, Oveeta Passmore Steed, Reverend Crutchfield, Roman Catholic, Dolly Bottoms, Lord Jesus

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Concordance | Text Stats

Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

Citations (learn more)

This book cites 2 books:

My First Prayers: Thank You by Anne Riley on page 15, and page 20
Taking Care by Michael B. Jacobs M.D. on page 182

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful coming of age story, July 28, 2005

By	Mark D. Johnson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

With OUT OF INNOCENCE, Dan Skelton shows that he is not going to be categorized as an author that writes to any particular genre. With his first novel, BOOJUM, Skelton wrote a terrifying tale of possession that proved he had the potential to join the ranks as a known name in the horror feild.

With his second book, OUT OF INNOCENCE, Skelton switches gears to write a coming of age story. It deals with siblings who are being raised by an out of work single mother who is so focused on her own selfish needs and desires that she has little time to raise, let alone love, her own children. In many ways this book is more unsettling than BOOJUM, but it is much deeper than your standard tale of horror. Skelton writes about a part of our culture that few of us want to believe exists, let alone read about. But this is not a book that should be ignored.

Although this is not an entertaining book (any more than THE GRAPES OF WRATH was entertaining), this is not a book that should be ignored. I would suggest that if you are in a book club, that you should make OUT OF INNOCENCE your next project. If not, get your friends to buy a copy and read it at the same time. This is a book that should not just be read, but it should be read and discussed.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars you may just never be the same, August 8, 2005

By	BookReview.com (Madison, WI United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Dan Skelton's, "Out of Innocence" will stay within your mind for a very long time. With raw power and imagery Skelton drags the reader in and doesn't let go until the bittersweet end.

Ten-year-old Chris Curry and his siblings have to deal with more horror and grim circumstance than any child ever should. Their mother, Audie Curry, is a pathetic excuse for a person and could hardly be called anyone's mother save for the fact that she bore the children, each to a different father. With every new man in her life comes a new set of rules for existence, none of them what anyone could call a normal childhood. With every new man also comes a new "home" for a while, and then a new time of leaving that home until eventually the five of them end up living in the car more than any place else. What happens in between is a nomadic scramble to stay alive. Day by day, minute by minute, meal by meal.

Through it all Chris is the voice of reason; he is an old soul likely sent to take care of this bunch of younger ones. One night, he takes the ultimate step in saving them all. Things change drastically, yet for the better, after that, at least for some of them. New people enter their lives and for some it means a new lease on life, while others fall willingly through the cracks.

Dan Skelton takes the lives of four children and their mama and exposes every dirty little secret. Here is where he weaves magic in his words. The lowest depths of humanity are seen through his characters, and also, the very basics of strength, and love. Some moments will rip readers raw, cut to the bone, and leave you wanting to cry. Others will make you laugh out loud, read faster with excitement, and finally close the book with closure and a sense of having learned something about the human existence, like it or not.

This book is a must read, but for adults only. It will touch you and you may just never be the same.

Review by Heather Froeschl.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful! Don't miss it!, August 7, 2005

By	Mark Hickerson - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Dan Skelton is one of the brightest and most precious gems in the vast, largely unexplored caverns of contemporary literature. He is armed with the keenest of observations into human behavior, and misbehavior, and his focus never flinches. His work will not merely entertain, it will make you feel, think, and most likely reevaluate your existing conceptions of the grand human condition. The sordid saga of the Curry clan will have you laughing out loud, and also wanting to cry, often in the same sentence. Their misadventures will haunt you, yet give you hope at the same time. If your tastes run to fiction that ranges the entire spectrum of emotional sensations, then Dan is your man, and OUT OF INNOCENCE is definitely your book. Take heed, read, and spread the word. Help to bring OUT OF INNOCENCE out of obscurity. Dan Skelton is, without question, the real deal.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Make a MOVIE out of this one!
Ever since I read OUT OF INNOCENCE, the story has played in my mind like a movie. Skelton weaves his gritty tale of a dysfunctional family so well that the characters become... Read more

Published 21 months ago by Mindy Lawrence

5.0 out of 5 stars Out of lnnocence
Out of Innocence is a real eye opener. The book draws you into the lives of the children and will not let you go. Read more

Published on July 21, 2005 by Julie Hartsfield

5.0 out of 5 stars Growth of Innocence
Kudos for Dan Skelton's latest tour de force. This is a wonderful novel, full of real people. Though not as drastic in their lives, I have known many people just like these. Read more

Published on July 19, 2005 by James W. Hawley

› See all 6 customer reviews...

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