Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

CONTENT WARNING!

Synopsis: 'Korey Fields is dead.

When Enchanted Jones wakes with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night, no one - the police and Korey's fan included - has more questions than she does. All she really knows is that this isn't how things are supposed to be. Korey's was Enchanted's ticket to stardom.

Before there was a dead body, Enchanted was an aspiring singer, struggling with her tight knit family's recent move to the suburbs while trying to find her place as the lone Black girl in high school. But then legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots at an audition. And suddenly her dream of being a professional singer takes flight.

Enchanted is dazzled by Korey's luxurious life but soon her dream turns into a nightmare. Behind Korey's charm and power hides a dark side, one that wants to control her every move, with rage and consequences. Except now he's dead and the police are at the door. Who killed Korey Fields?

All signs point to Enchanted.'

This is a book which truly makes you feel so many different emotions at once. A mix of anger, fury, confusion, curiosity, sadness and at the same time wanting to avenge. The sad part about all of this is that it is not far from the truth in some aspects. These events, no matter the order or who it might be with, is still taking place today. Maybe even right this minute. It's shocking in so many ways, but it makes it even more important to discuss and implement measures for the safety of our children as well as people within our communities.

I think this is an especially important topic that needs to be raised at this moment in time due to the increase of how we are spending time with the same people at home. It is not just about the power dynamic of Enchanted being a seventeen year old girl and Korey a twenty-eight year old man. It's the abuse of their 'relationship' with the gaslighting, physical and mental abuse, as well as the stalking. This is a piece that we could all be taking a lesson from. Especially when we as the human race give so much power to certain people that they then use to abuse and convince most people that it wasn't their fault.

Based on the topics that have been inspired by this book and the importance of the #Metoo movement I think that this is definitely a book that should be shared with all young people, or discussed in book clubs. We need to shout this problems louder to all the people that are not listening. I cannot emphasise this problem enough. If I could I would give a copy to all of the people around me just so they could see what I can now see. That what is at risk is not only young girls and boys, but all of the black girls and boys that no one seems to believe, which breaks my heart in two.

If you haven't read this book yet, please do. Please do for the sake of yourself, community and the young people who are subjected to this type of behaviour. We need more kindness and empathy in the world to help when you can see someone might in a situation such as this.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grown-Tiffany-D-Jackson/dp/0062840355/ref=sr_1_1?crid=8Q3UAOJ7WKNC&dchild=1&keywords=grown+tiffany+d.+jackson&qid=1604499072&sprefix=grown+tiff%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-1

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/grown/tiffany-d-jackson/9780062840356

WHSmith: https://www.whsmith.co.uk/products/grown/tiffany-d-jackson/hardback/9780062840356.html

Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/Grown-Tiffany-D-Jackson/9780062840356?ref=grid-view&qid=1604499206302&sr=1-1

Bookshop.org: https://uk.bookshop.org/books/grown/9780062840356

Comments

2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke

What can we truly know of the universe? Is the universe simply beyond our comprehension or are we just too ignorant to see what is actually in front of us? What if there is life beyond Earth? What if we can discover it for ourselves? What if, our curiosity gets the better of us all? This book seems to pose many questions to what knowledge we already possess yet, are we looking at life in the right way and how we come to use the environment of Earth around us. It takes us through the story of the human race and how we have expanded our skills and knowledge to become a race which is both rational and intelligent enough to discover the final frontier, space. But what comes after all of this? This is just as an important question as the one in which we ask of how we all got here in the first place. The great thing about this book is that I feel like if you read it before watching the film, you would probably have a better appreciation for Kubrick's vision. In fact, it could be believed...

Blog Tour: The Lore of Prometheus by Graham Austin-King

SYNOPSIS John Carver has three rules: Don't drink in the daytime, don't gamble when the luck has gone, and don't talk to the dead people who come to visit. It has been almost five years since the incident in Kabul. Since the magic stirred within him and the stories began. Fleeing the army, running from the whispers, the guilt, and the fear he was losing his mind, Carver fell into addiction, dragging himself through life one day at a time. Desperation has pulled him back to Afganistan, back to the heat, the dust, and the truth he worked so hard to avoid. But there are others, obsessed with power and forbidden magics, who will stop at nothing to learn the truth of his gifts. Abducted and chained, Carver must break more than his own rules if he is to harness this power and survive.

Teaching with the Enemy by Jacqueline Snowe

SYNOPSIS Gilly Carter has kept her lofty inheritance a secret from her coworkers, knowing first-hand how money changes people. But when she's forced to rely on more than her bank account, will she rise to the task? After winning teacher of the year last spring, she's pumped to begin the new school year. Her fantasies of rainbow coloured bookshelves and students giggling at her maths puns are dampened when she discovers Christopher Callahan, a one-night stand who ghosted her, is not only her co-worker, but they're paired together to teach first grade. While he's kind to everyone else, Christopher doesn't even try to hide his distaste for Gilly. He turns his nose up at her extravagant classroom decorations and accuses her of not teaching from her heart. When Christopher challenges her to a spirit week competition where neither of them can spend a cent, Gilly doubles down: she freezes her funds for the entire month, vowing to live off her teacher's salary alone. ...

A Wedding in the Country by Katie Fforde

SYNOPSIS Lizzie has just arrived in London, determined to make the best of her new life. Her mother may be keen that she should have a nice wedding in the country to a Suitable Man chosen by her. And Lizzie may be going to cookery school to help her become a Good Wife. But she definitely wants to have some fun first. It is 1963 and London is beginning to swing as Lizzie cuts her hair, buys a new dress with a fashionably short hemline, and moves in with two of her best friends, one of whom lives in a grand but rundown house in Belgravia which has plenty of room for a lodger. Soon Lizzie's life is so exciting that she has forgotten all about her mother's marriage plans for her. All she can think about is that the young man she is falling in love with appears to be engaged to someone else...

History of a Drowning Boy by Dennis Nilsen

SYNOPSIS Dennis Nilsen was one of Britain's most notorious serial killers, jailed for life in 1983 after the murders of 12 men and the attempted murders of many more. Seven years after his conviction, Nilsen began to write his autobiography and over a period of 18 years he typed 6,000 pages of introspection, reflection, comment and explanation. History of a Drowning Boy - taken exclusively from these astonishing writings - uncovers, for the first time the motives behind the murders, and delivers a clear understanding of how such horrific events could have happened, tracing the origins back to early childhood. In another first, it provides an insight into his 35 years inside the maximum-security prison system including his everyday life on the wings; his interactions with the authorities and other notorious prisoners; and his artistic endeavours of music, writing and drama. It also reveals the truth behind many of the myths surrounding Dennis Nilsen, as reported in the media. Nils...