This book was highly recommended to me by my sister, who had seen the author discuss her writing.
It's the story of a about a week in the life of a very poor family living on the Gulf of Mexico awaiting the Katrina hurricane. It's told by the only daughter, Esch, a pregnant 15 year old. Her two older brothers, Randall and Skeetah, seek to escape, one pursuing basketball and the other raising puppies with his fighting pit bull, China. Their mother died giving birth to their youngest brother, Junior and the older children raise him during the neglect of their angry, detached, hard-drinking father.
What makes this story so powerful is that it is told entirely by Esch in a matter-of-fact voice that reveals their miserable living conditions and twisted family dynamics of extreme poverty. It's not a book you enjoy but one you cringe from as the reality of the lives of those living this way. Strongly recommended.
Published: 2011 Read; November 2025 Genre: Fiction
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