Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Around The World ARC Tours Presents Little Peach by Peggy Kern



About The Book:

What do you do if you're in trouble?

When Michelle runs away from her drug-addicted mother, she has just enough money to make it to New York City, where she hopes to move in with a friend. But once she arrives at the bustling Port Authority, she is confronted with the terrifying truth: she is alone and out of options. 

Then she meets Devon, a good-looking, well-dressed guy who emerges from the crowd armed with a kind smile, a place for her to stay, and eyes that seem to understand exactly how she feels. 

But Devon is not what he seems to be, and soon Michelle finds herself engulfed in the world of child prostitution where he becomes her “Daddy” and she his “Little Peach.” It is a world of impossible choices, where the line between love and abuse, captor and savior, is blurred beyond recognition. 

This hauntingly vivid story illustrates the human spirit’s indomitable search for home, and one girl’s struggle to survive.

Goodreads:


My Review:


Okay I have to first start this review out by saying read this book with caution. This book made me laugh, cry, get angry, and finally I threw the book on the bed because I needed more. 

This is a compelling story about a 14 year old girl who runs away from home to see the big city and live with her friend. When she gets to New York she realizes that she is all alone and no ones coming for her. She has no way back to her home so she sits in the bus terminal scared and alone. Then she meets this guy who is clean cut and good looking and willing to take care of her and feed her. She follows him home only to learn that looks are deceiving. The nice man Devon turns out to be a monster and this is where the book goes into what happens to little peach and her friends.

I have to say this because I have to be honest with you readers. I loved and hated this book. I have a young daughter and I kept looking at her every time I would read something horrible that would happen to little peach and her friends. The sex trade market is real and out there every where and you have to keep your kids safe. What Little Peach went through at such a young age will scar her for the rest of her life. She will never forget what she went through. I kept thinking if that was my daughter or niece or anyone I knew I would rip Devon's heart out and hang him up for every pimp to see.

About The Author:

Peggy Kern was born and raised in Westbury, New York. There she attended the local public elementary and middle schools, where she was one of the few white students in a predominately black and Latino community. Peggy didn’t realize what a unique and valuable experience that was until she transferred to a private high school.

“I was miserable in high school,” she says. “I couldn’t understand why my classmates only hung out with people who looked just like they did. To me, that was a foreign concept.” Peggy worked a variety of jobs through her teenage years, including switchboard operator at a country club, cashier at a clothing store, and the night-shift in a bakery. 

In 1992, Peggy enrolled at LaSalle University in Philadelphia, where she discovered her love of literature and writing. However, the financial stress of paying for college herself – coupled with the painful divorce of her parents – proved overwhelming. She moved back to New York and took a full-time job as a secretary. Determined to finish her degree, she began taking night classes at a local community college and eventually landed a partial scholarship at Long Island University. She continued working full-time and taking classes until she graduated in 1998 with a B.A. in English.

Though it took her almost seven years to obtain her college degree, Peggy says she would do it all again. “The adversity made me work even harder. I never forgot how lucky I was to have a chance at an education.”

In 2001, Peggy completed a Master’s degree in English and Writing at Southampton College. She also coordinated the Southampton Writers Conference, where she had the chance to meet some of her literary heroes and assist young students in pursing their dream of writing. While at Southampton, she taught English Composition, tutored undergraduate students and published several short stories.

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