Excellent reviews are starting to come in, mostly talking about what a dark tale Milk-Blood tells. The story, largely about a ten year old living in the poverty and urban blight of Detroit, has struck a chord on the veins of readers.
What I find interesting is that much of the poverty, despair, and even drug addiction presented in the novel is nothing unusual. Truth is darker than fiction. If you live near Detroit, and/or been a social worker in the area (or any large city), you will hardly be surprised. A 6th grader whose best meals of the day come from the school she attends, who often goes unattended after she arrives home, who lives on a street with an abandoned house where a mentailly ill squatter has taken residence, and drug use and addiction is common. This part is not fiction.
Besides the spirits of those who have died on the street, and a pretty horrific scene in a bath tub, the book could be taken from the headlines. Making up stories is the best way to tell the truth, and I am so thrilled that folks are reading it.
Here's some comments on the book to explain what I am talking about:
"I've never before felt that uncomfortable and queasy while reading a book. Not only was the story a thunderous blow to the mind, it also affected me physically: my muscles seemed to tighten and draw together, like I do when I'm really cold or as if to pull away and hide from some kind of attack. "
"I will warn those with a sensitive nature to run for the hills posthaste. You might be better off going out of your way to avoid this street. There are some truly disturbing themes presented within these pages."
"I have never read a book like this before. I could see every image described so clearly. I felt the pain of the characters and became attached to the main character "Lilly". Although, it was sad and very painful to read at times, I couldn't put it down. I will never forget reading this book and how I felt while I read. So glad I took time to finish it, even though it was slightly heartbreaking."
"OMG!!! I cannot believe what I just read. This is a sick and twisted story written with such vivid details that I felt like I was a fly on the wall. My heart was racing page after page and I never lost interest. "
"Wow. I'm not sure where to even start. This story was brilliantly written. To be based on factual occurrences, this is truly a life of living hell."
"A very dark,urban horror story. I call it an urban horror story because of it's realistic depiction of drug abuse and addiction, growing up and living in a setting with little hope for a better way of life and how social services may play a role in both as a capacity for assistance as well as a sense of fear felt by those who may need that help. Sad and thought provoking. A highly recommended read by an author who has first hand experience."
" I didn’t know what to expect and was blown away as the story unfolded. This story is dark.Very dark. My emotions changed so many times while reading it, I had to remind myself that it was a work of fiction, these people were not real, and everything was okay. I even had a dream about it – can you believe it? I can’t, and it was me having the dream! One night I woke up thinking, “Why did the author write that in there? That was so wrong!” What a story–seriously–you have to read it."
"The story started out intense, morphed into a train wreck, and then became disturbing.The only thing I didn’t like was that the book was so disturbing–but I also loved it because the book was so disturbing. After I was done reading it I thought to myself, 'I need therapy after this one. Maybe a marathon of the Care Bears will make me feel better.'”
Yes, I agree. A marathon helps everything. Grab the book and see for yourself. $2.99 kindle, $6.29 paperback.
