Beem Weeks's Blog - Posts Tagged "child-abuse"
My Review of Daydream's Daughter, Nightmare's Friend
Daydream's Daughter, Nightmare's Friend: One Woman's Journey Through Two Hells by Nonnie JulesMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Daydream’s Daughter, Nightmare’s Friend by Nonnie Jules opens with a shooting. A teenage girl appears to have pulled the trigger. What would lead an outwardly normal, well-adjusted girl to shoot the primary breadwinner in a home stricken with poverty? Author Jules lures the reader in, sparing few details in this dark read. Think Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison for these modern times.
Maiya’s mother is a physically abusive alcoholic with little patience for her daughter (one of seven children fathered by several different men). Bad things happen, which leads to unimaginable and awful secrets far too heavy for a young girl to be forced to bear.
Maiya does have allies in her corner: a godmother who helps the girl deal with the consequences of abuse; a best friend, Charlotte, who wants to shield Maiya from the horrible realities in her corner of the world; loving grandparents who try to do what they feel is right by their granddaughter; and others who drift into her life at various times. But this story is about Maiya, about her struggle for a normal life, about one girl who seeks triumph in the face of certain defeat.
Nonnie Jules has proven herself a skilled storyteller of the first order. As far as debut novels go, this one ranks high on my list. There are some sexually explicit scenes, so this is not a novel for the youngsters. But for those who enjoy a good, solid story, Daydream’s Daughter, Nightmare’s Friend is one you’ll want to read.
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"Slivers of Life: A Collection of Short Stories" Now Just .99!
Sliver of Life: A Collection of Short Stories is now available for just .99 on Kindle for a limited time. Grab a copy before it's over!
"There is no time to lose when crafting a short story. In order to hook the reader, the author must instantly bring the narrator's voice to life and create a compelling drama. In each of the "Slivers", Beem Weeks plunges us into an intimate emotional encounter faster than Alice down the rabbit hole."--S. Rose, author of Bridge Ices Before Road
These twenty short stories are a peek into individual lives caught up in spectacular moments in time. Children, teens, mothers, and the elderly each have stories to share. Readers witness tragedy and fulfillment, love and hate, loss and renewal. Historical events become backdrops in the lives of ordinary people, those souls forgotten with the passage of time. Beem Weeks tackles diverse issues running the gamut from Alzheimer’s disease to civil rights, abandonment to abuse, from young love to the death of a child. Long-hidden secrets and notions of revenge unfold at the promptings of rich and realistic characters; plot lines often lead readers into strange and dark corners. Within Slivers of Life, Weeks proves that everybody has a story to tell—and no two are ever exactly alike.
Slivers Of Life
Book Trailer
"There is no time to lose when crafting a short story. In order to hook the reader, the author must instantly bring the narrator's voice to life and create a compelling drama. In each of the "Slivers", Beem Weeks plunges us into an intimate emotional encounter faster than Alice down the rabbit hole."--S. Rose, author of Bridge Ices Before Road
These twenty short stories are a peek into individual lives caught up in spectacular moments in time. Children, teens, mothers, and the elderly each have stories to share. Readers witness tragedy and fulfillment, love and hate, loss and renewal. Historical events become backdrops in the lives of ordinary people, those souls forgotten with the passage of time. Beem Weeks tackles diverse issues running the gamut from Alzheimer’s disease to civil rights, abandonment to abuse, from young love to the death of a child. Long-hidden secrets and notions of revenge unfold at the promptings of rich and realistic characters; plot lines often lead readers into strange and dark corners. Within Slivers of Life, Weeks proves that everybody has a story to tell—and no two are ever exactly alike.
Slivers Of Life
Book Trailer
