Monica's Book Reviews

' Highly Recommended Ghetto Klown By : John Leguizamo     Published : October 20th 2015 Synopsis In Ghetto Klown, celebrated performer John Leguizamo lays bare his early years in blue-collar Queens, his salvation through acting and writing, and his colorful career trajectory. He brings us onto the sets of his films opposite stars such as Al Pacino and Patrick Swayze and with directors such as Baz Luhrmann and Brian De Palma, while also opening up about his offstage life in love and marriage. In this candid graphic novel memoir, Leguizamo offers a strong message of moving beyond self-doubt—and beyond the doubters—to claim some happiness. Originally staged on Broadway in 2011, Ghetto Klown won Leguizamo Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards before being adapted into an HBO special. Now, teaming up with artists Christa Cassano and Shamus Beyale, Leguizamo shares his life story in this vibrant, funny, and moving adaptat...

Highly Recommended A Girl in Pieces Author - Kathleen Glasgow Published - August 30th, 2016 Synopsis Charlotte Davis is in pieces. At seventeen she’s already lost more than most people do in a lifetime. But she’s learned how to forget. The broken glass washes away the sorrow until there is nothing but calm. You don’t have to think about your father and the river. Your best friend, who is gone forever. Or your mother, who has nothing left to give you.     Every new scar hardens Charlie’s heart just a little more, yet it still hurts so much. It hurts enough to not care anymore, which is sometimes what has to happen before you can find your way back from the edge.    A deeply moving portrait of a girl in a world that owes her nothing, and has taken so much, and the journey she undergoes to put herself back together. Kathleen Glasgow's debut is heartbreakingly real and unflinchingly honest. It’s a story you...

Highly Recommend!!! She Said It's Your Child (Part 3) By:  Sherene Holly Cain Published: December 8th 2016 Synopsis In the wake of Dolan's tragedy, Nolan and Darica have some decisions to make. Nolan wants to raise their kids as a couple, but Darica wants to co-parent. Her devotion to her husband won't allow her to be with another man. Nolan has an opportunity to take the job of his dreams but holds on to the hope that  love is in the cards for him and his brothers’ wife. The tasks they face prove more difficult than they imagine, as unexpected events threaten to stand in their path. As always, Rolanda, Mama C, Phillip, and Greg are caught in the middle as they struggle to hold the family together. But, they have their work cut out for them with the many secrets that unfold during the process. Will Darica succumb to Nolan or send him packing to Australia? Can Chevette forgive Greg for t...