Michelle, 14, finds herself alone in the world after the death of her caretaker grandfather, and abandonment by her drug addicted mother. Clutching half an address of a former friend, she boards a bus to New York with the last of her money and soon finds herself befriended by Devon upon arrival. With few options, Michelle takes him up on his hospitality and promise of family, only to be quickly indoctrinated into child prostitution alongside with Baby and Kat, the other members of his "family."
The long version:
A dark, well-researched and plausible tale of human sex trafficking. Kern has not only written a sure handed, tight (for it's a slim 190 pages) drama but it moves quickly and provides a vivid, explicit rendering of a way of life most of us don't have much first hand exposure to. Michelle is a sympathetic, well drawn main character you empathize with from the start. There is much in the way of drug abuse, rape, profanity, pedophilia and physical abuse and while it's told with a strong degree of explicitness, all are used within the context of the story.
Perfect for fans of Sapphire's Push, Melvin Burgess's Smack, Patricia McCormick's Cut, and Ellen Hopkins novels.
(Review of an Advanced Reader Copy)
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