Schemin', Confessions of a Gold Digger by Andrea Blackstone
305 pages
Published 2004 by Dream Weaver Press
Urban Literature
From the Back Cover:
"Jalita Harrison is a nineteen-year-old biracial woman who was born into a dysfunctional environment, but aspired to overcome it. After raising herself on the streets of Baltimore, she decides she wants no part of a destructive lifestyle and is accepted into a college in Virginia. During Christmas break, she is left temporarily homeless and nearly penniless. As a result, Jalita returns to Baltimore, where people from her past double-cross her.
Frustrated and desperate, Jalita decides to start running game in the nearby suburbs, using her good looks, wit, and streeet smarts to survive. Shemin' becomes an addictive habit that leads her to abandon her college plans and self-imposed morality. When she and a handsome but engaged NBA basketball star agree to hook up on the down low, Jalita becomes part of a dangerous love triangle. Before it's all said and done, the script is flipped on each party involved and each person is left with the consequences of behaving badly."
My Review:
Jalita, Jalita, what a busy young lady. Initially I found this book to be a slow read, but found myself quickly wanting to turn one more page to see what antics this young vixen was up to. I was more than curious to find out what guy would be the next victim to fall prey to her beauty, curvaceous body and manipulative ways.
As she spun her web of deceit to get what she wanted, what she needed, and what she felt she deserved Jalita periodically reflected on her destructive behavior but rationalized that she would dish out what she had received in life, pain and disappointment. It isn't until one of her seedy relationships goes awry does she begin the process of true introspection, albeit too late for some involved.
What I Enjoy:
Ms. Blackstone paints vivid pictures of her characters and venues that allow me connect with the story in a way that brings it to life. She describes places that I can relate to as a native Washingtonian, while simultaneously giving visual dimensions to those who are not from this area.
Her characters have a definitive voice so they are easy to follow and allow the reader to understand their specific points of view. Because of those specific points of view I could easily move with them from scene to scene as she plays a virtual hide and seek with them.
What I Dislike:
Urban Literatures' story line is of drug dealers, golddiggers, pimps, prostitutes and the negative side of the African-American culture. Yes, I do understand the old saying "sex sells", but we as authors and as people need to go beyond that. Yes, we can incorporate it, but not have it the forefront of what we write about, what we watch on television, and what we read. This novel was stereotypical of the genre.
We can have our main character pull themselves up from all the adverstities that they are confronted with in life and make a miraclous turn around in the last chapter of the book. But, what I hope to see in the future is the successes carrying the storyline and the stench of urban life finding its place where it belongs, on the final pages of a novel.
You can learn more about Andrea Blackston and her other novels at www.dreamweaverpress.net.
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