The Throwaway Piece, is a novel written by author Jo Ann Yolanda Hernandez. The main character in the novel, is named Jewel. She is the only child of her mother. Her mother Angela is single and always hooking up, with her hopes invested in her latest man and what he can do for her. She goes from man- to- man looking to him to make her life better; only, he never does. Jewel is judged for her clothing, her lifestyle, her ethinicity, her attitude and her speach.
Jewel is her mother Angela’s joy, her savior, and her anchor. She is also the ball and chain to Angela’s relationships. Angela puts Jewel on the back burner until she needs her when her latest man walks out, beats her up, uses her or just plain and simple demands that she dump Jewel into the foster care system.
Jewel is used to saving Angela from her poor choices. She has changed roles with her mother and becomes the responsible adult in the relationship. Even in foster care, Jewel has to steady and calm her mother over the phone.
The downside is that Jewel’s emotional needs are always put aside; buried, disregarded and deminished. Jewel has learned not to trust, not to expect too much…and, to be ready to move at a moments notice. She is smart but uses confrontational interaction to keep others at a distance. She yearns to be accepted, loved and nurtured…but is unable to accept that she is worth it. She holds out hope that she and her mother will have the life that they dreamed of…the fantasy life. However, she really doesn’t expect it to happen.
Like many State Kids, Jewel has never really fit in. This last time though, she has found a teacher who supports her, who understands her and who believes in her. She toys with the concept of having friends…even though she doesn’t expect much from them. She makes some poor choices and endangers herself after finding her mother Od’d. She is sexually assaulted. She saves someone who thinks little of her and in doing so…she finds a grudging respect and opens the door to some adult acceptance. Her mother has abandoned her and is lost to her forever.
Jewel is strong…too strong; she is vulnerable…too vulnerable. Jewel is precious and she is worthless at the same time. Does she find a way to find value in her own life before it is too late? Does the system destroy her or help her to build upon a foundation that is cracked and crumbling? Does anyone really reach out far enough to help her to save herself? You’ll have to read The Throwaway Piece to know for sure. I enjoyed reading it…because it is real.
Just for full disclosure; I did receive this book as a free review copy. This in no way, affects my opinion of it. It is worth reading. If you would like to purchase this book you can go Amazon.com. Otherwise, here is a link to the publisher’s website where you can purchase the book directly: http://www.latinoteca.com/app-home/app-inprints/Pinata_Books . This book was copyrighted in 2006 by Pinata Books an imprint of Arte Publico Press.
Enjoy getting to know Jewel so that you can have compassion in your heart for foster children everywhere! Every life has value and meaning…look beyond behaviors and read and understand the heart.
As with most books about beautiful places in the great outdoors…the writer of The Signal, Ron Carlson, is gifted with describing the mountainous scenery and creating an image in the mind of the reader. This builds a background of love and commitment behind the story; after all, who couldn’t love the bond between the land and the main characters in this story. It adds richness and depth to the lengths to which a man will go to protect a legacy of preserving land that has been in the family for generations. When that legacy is threatened because of finances, Mack finds himself on a downward spiral as he tries to come up with ways to save the ranch. Before he knows it, he has jepardized his relationship with his wife who loves the man and his ranch and sacrifices right along with beside him willingly.
When his failure to overcome financial obstacles starts to consume him and destroy him…it causes her to leave temparily. This in turn leads him to a life of crime and an over-indulgence in substances that numb him and allows him to lower his moral standards even farther until he can no longer tolerate the man he has become. As he tries to regain his self worth he attempts to reconnect with his wife who has divorced him. Can they find their way back to one another after such devastation?
One last time, they agree to camp and fish together on the land they love so that they can have closure on their relationship. He has hurt her badly and regrets it; knowing that when he let her go it was a huge mistake. He had temporarily in the midst of his addictions had a relationship with a fellow addict…his wife Vonnie knows of this and is hurt. On this last time together on the land that drew them together in the first place and upon which their love was grown they come to a place of healing only to find their future endangered by the past illegal relationships that Mack had tried to walk away from. Where they go and how they get their is why you will want to dive into the words between the covers of this book. If you love action, stories about commitment and relationships you will enjoy this book.
The Signal was copyrighted in 2009 by Viking. You can visit their site here: http://www.vpbookclub.com/
Rainy’s Recommendations
