Sapphire continues her story where Push (the film Precious) left off. Her son is The Kid and it's the story of him growing up in Harlem after his mom dies of AIDS and everything that happens to him as he's pushed through the system and figuring out who he is.

I only read a couple pages and put it down. It is written differently and I did not like it

I was so moved by Push, Sapphire's previous novel, that I was very excited to read The Kid. Unfortunately, while I feel I learned from reading it, The Kid lacks some very important elements that made Precious palatable despite its devastating subject. My primary problem is that I struggled mightily to maintain positive affect for the protagonist after a pivotal scene early in the first section. In fact, I was so disturbed by Abdul's actions that I returned the book to the library and debated with myself if I could continue. I ultimately did borrow the book again and finish the novel. Its most redeeming feature is the section in which we get to learn the backstory of Toosie (Precious' grandmother) and Mary (Precious' mother). Precious was endearing because the character survived and overcame grave abuses. Abdul's reaction to different horrifying abuses was perhaps more realistic, but my needs as a reader were not met by the book. If Sapphire writes a sequel, however, I would likely read it in the hopes that meaningful redemption is available for Abdul at some point.

While the subject is something that needs to be read and exposed, this was a hard to read book. I found myself wondering at times if this was the inner monologue, a dream or something that was actually happening to Abdul. I found myself reading and reading to be sure of the "realness" of what was going on. It is a heart wrenching story about the need to survive and the generational curses and abuses that can make that difficult to do. This is a story that will haunt me as a person who works with children from all walks of life. Could something like this have happened to him/ her? I'll ask myself. I really wish that this book was an easier read.

Took me longer to get thru this than usual. I know Sapphire writing style however, i found it irritating at times. The storyline was all over the place. I understand her concept however, i was left feeling there was no solution, nor a meaning of writing this story at all. Would i recommend it? yes, maybe others will get a better understanding than i.

What it's about: The son of Precious, the teenage heroine of Sapphire's gritty 1996 best seller, Push, set in Harlem, struggles to find his way in the world after being orphaned at 9. Why it's hot: Push was adapted into Precious, the 2009 movie that won two Oscars.