The Life I'm In

by Sharon G. Flake Narrated by Bahni Turpin

Overview

The powerful and long-anticipated companion to The Skin I'm In, Sharon Flake's bestselling modern classic, presents the unflinching story of Char, a young woman trapped in the underworld of human trafficking.

My feet are heavy as stones when I walk up the block wondering why I can't find my old self.

In The Skin I'm In, readers saw into the life of Maleeka Madison, a teen who suffered from the ridicule she received because of her dark skin color. For decades fans have wanted to know the fate of the bully who made Maleeka's life miserable, Char.

Now in Sharon Flake's latest and unflinching novel, The Life I'm In, we follow Charlese Jones, who, with her raw, blistering voice speaks the truths many girls face, offering insight to some of the causes and conditions that make a bully. Turned out of the only home she has known, Char boards a bus to nowhere where she is lured into the dangerous web of human trafficking. Much is revealed behind the complex system of men who take advantage of vulnerable teens in the underbelly of society. While Char might be frightened, she remains strong and determined to bring herself and her fellow victims out of the dark and back into the light, reminding us why compassion is a powerful cure to the ills of the world.

Sharon Flake's bestselling, Coretta Scott King Award-winning novel The Skin I'mIn was a game changer when it was first published more than twenty years ago. It redefined young adult literature by presenting characters, voices, and real-world experiences that had not been fully seen. Now Flake offers readers another timely and radical story of a girl on the brink and how her choices will lead her to either fall, or fly.

Editorial Reviews

JANUARY 2021 - AudioFile

Bahni Turpin helps listeners come to sympathize with Charlese Jones in the companion volume to Sharon Flake’s earlier work, THE SKIN I’M IN, in which Charlese was primarily known as a bully. Here Char finds herself the victim of increasingly difficult and dangerous circumstances: needing to support herself on the street with an abandoned baby. Turpin ably expresses a range of emotions from Char and the characters around her. These vary from a gritty voice for the disreputable and threatening Daddy to the worry both she and her sister express. A supplement from the author is added explaining the importance of the topic of sex trafficking as well as the reasons she chose to use her former character to provide information and support to victims about this global problem. E.J.F. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

★ 01/25/2021

In this candid, riveting companion to her 1998 novel The Skin I’m In, Coretta Scott King Medalist Flake explores the psyche of Maleeka’s former tormentor, 16-year-old Black orphan Charlese “Char” Jones, who, after consecutive expulsions from four schools, is kicked out by 27-year-old sister Juju. Headed to join her grandparents in Alabama, Char changes Greyhound routes, deciding instead to trail a teen mother and her baby whom she befriends. When the mother abandons her child with Char, fiercely independent Char does her best, acquiring lodging, food, and baby supplies. But when money runs out, she grows desperate—enough to fall prey to smooth-talking Anthony, a man willing to cover all expenses if she joins his prostitution ring. Now all Char wants is to return to Juju, but there’s no escape. Strong first-person narration shows the deterioration of Char’s attitude and self-esteem as she struggles to survive. Representing the plight of many, Char’s narrative presents a cruel underbelly of society; returning readers will relish Maleeka’s and Miss Saunders’s reappearances, but any reader can appreciate this novel’s indelible impact. Ages 14–up. (Jan.)

From the Publisher

Praise for The Life I'm In:

*"[A]ny reader can appreciate this novel’s indelible impact."-Publisher's Weekly, starred review

*"A sequel for today's time...[an] unflinching narrative...vivid and important."-Kirkus Reviews, starred review

*“A much-desired sister novel…[A] difficult yet necessary sequel.”-Booklist, starred review

Praise for The Skin I'm In:

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent

Publishers Weekly Author to Watch

*"Flake's debut novel will hit home...echoes universal brink-of-adolescence concerns."-Publishers Weekly, starred

"Funny and clever...will pull readers into a world too rarely represented in middle-grade fiction."-Booklist

"Young teens will appreciate Flake's authenticity."-School Library Journal

Praise for Pinned:

Best Books of Year for Kirkus Reviews

NAACP Image Award Nominee

*"Flake avoids tidiness, constructing two authentic, distinct voices that expose the strengths and flaws of both teenagers."-Publishers Weekly, starred review

*"[The protagonists], in addition to the supporting characters—parents, teachers, and friends alike—have distinctive personalities and voices, enhancing the story's depth and complexity."-The Horn Book, starred review

Praise for The Unstoppable Octobia May:

"Socially conscious work of historical fiction... smart, spirited, and hopeful."-Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"[A] page-turning read that never feels like a history lesson."-The Horn Book

School Library Journal

★ 04/01/2021

Gr 9 Up—Charlese Jones, best known as the bully to Maleeka Madison in Flake's The Skin I'm In, had a great life until her parents' death. After this trauma, her family has a hard time continuing to function and her older sister is named her legal guardian. Char, who is African American, is on a downward spiral and is sent to live with her grandparents. On the way there, she is lured into human trafficking. She must find a way to help herself and the others with her. The powerful idea that you can't understand why a person acts the way they do without fully understanding their story takes center stage in this novel. Teens will be able to connect to Char, and learn from her. The topics discussed are relevant and portrayed realistically, though the book may be triggering for some readers. If they have read the first book the character development will take on a deeper meaning, but this is truly its own story. VERDICT The long-awaited companion novel to The Skin I'm In does not disappoint. Recommend to readers who enjoyed Kim Johnson's This Is My America.—Elizabeth Pelayo, St. Charles East H.S., IL

JANUARY 2021 - AudioFile

Bahni Turpin helps listeners come to sympathize with Charlese Jones in the companion volume to Sharon Flake’s earlier work, THE SKIN I’M IN, in which Charlese was primarily known as a bully. Here Char finds herself the victim of increasingly difficult and dangerous circumstances: needing to support herself on the street with an abandoned baby. Turpin ably expresses a range of emotions from Char and the characters around her. These vary from a gritty voice for the disreputable and threatening Daddy to the worry both she and her sister express. A supplement from the author is added explaining the importance of the topic of sex trafficking as well as the reasons she chose to use her former character to provide information and support to victims about this global problem. E.J.F. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2020-10-22
A troubled African American teen gets caught up in the world of trafficking as she tries to cope with negative feelings about herself.

Despite her sister’s best efforts, 16-year-old Charlese Jones is still making trouble and getting kicked out of school. Her sister and guardian, JuJu, has had enough and prepares to send her to their grandparents in Alabama. On the bus ride, Char continues to be angry, irreverent, and difficult. She argues with the driver and drinks alcohol she has smuggled in her bag. Still, she interacts with others on the bus, learning their stories and thinking about her own life. When new passenger April and her baby, Cricket, board, they become Char’s focus—and then April disappears, leaving Cricket behind. When the man who left with April returns, he takes Char into the dark world of sexual trafficking, a place she begins to think she deserves. Flake follows her groundbreaking novel The Skin I’m In (1998) with a sequel for these times. Char, the antagonist from the first book, is presented here in all her vulnerability, eliciting empathy even as she makes mistakes. The ease with which some prey on vulnerable youth is starkly portrayed, balanced by the efforts of other caring adults to save them. The unflinching narrative is rich in dialogue and detail.

A vivid and important depiction of the struggles of too many teens. (author's note, research and resources) (Fiction. 14-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177768885
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	01/05/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

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