Once again, Sapphire put me through pure reading hell and once again, it was totally worth it! If you can stand reading page after page of violence and rape and manipulation, you will be rewarded with a new understanding of the cycle of rage and rape. Maybe that doesn't sound appealing, but I promise you The Kid is an enriching read.

The Kid follows Abdul (AKA JJ) from age 9 to about 19. He is at best, an antihero, who is possessed by sexual demons and night terrors as well as a deep appreciatio More...

This is the absolute worst, most nauseatingly horrific book I have ever read. I'd give it negative stars if I could. This is the story of Precious Jones' son, and while her story of abuse and her rise above it was inspiring and heart-wrenching, this was no more than a glorification of pedophilia and sexual abuse.

It is no surprise that many victims turn perpetrator when they are finally big enough to dominate others, but the protagonist seemed to revel in his abuse, take pride in what he did to o More...

I'm not sure why Sapphire insists on writing her characters at the absolute expense of the reader's patience. I disagree with those who rated this book with one or no stars because it wasn't "hopeful" like Push. How in the WORLD can anyone think Push was hopeful? Because she learned to read and hate herself a little less? That's supposed to be hopeful? Please! It wasn't. I also think it's rather self-indulgent and a bit ridiculous to expect the protagonist of this novel to become someone who did More...

This IS a DNF book, and the full length explanation of why I chose to set this one aside was originally written up for my blog, Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing.

The Kid by Sapphire is a novel I really should have liked. I read and reviewed Push on the blog last year (click to read my review) and while I can't say that I loved the book, I definitely understood the point and was left with an overall feeling of purpose. The Kid, however, did not leave me feeling any of that. I am not going to More...

The Kid is the second book in the Push series, by Sapphire. The Kid focuses on Abdul, who is one of two Precious's children. Precious died of AIDS when Abdul was 9, and the book describes Abdul's life from the age of 9, until about 18 or so. Abdul's life wasn't easy..He lived in several different places after Precious's death: with his Aunt Rita, in a Catholic school (St. Ilanthis), with his great grandmother, Roman, and with Meli. Toward the end of the story, Abdul tried to commit suicide, and More...

This book is brutal. It really is. Any hope I had at the end of Push was quickly beaten down by harsh reality in The Kid's opening, and as the book progressed it felt like the reality went out the window, and it felt very surreal at times, mostly because our narrator is mentally ill and damaged, and sometimes it's hard to grasp what's actually happening and what's in his head. But anyway, that's just the thing: this is not Push. It's its own separate thing, has its own unique style to it, and wh More...

Sapphire knew what she was doing when she put this book together.An innocent little boy who doesn't really understand the loss of his mother,everyone around him at first seems like he might have a chance, mom's old friends,you even thank god for the changes his mother made in her life so ABDULE may have a chance.With a turn of the page you aresucked in to what is the begining of ABDULE now "jj",dreams.He encounters what seemed like pure tourture givin a new identity and sent into the system,don' More...

I read Push for a class. While I can't say I would have ever voluntarily picked it up, I lost count of how many times I looked up a passage for the paper I was writing and found myself, yet again, at the end of the book. This, however, I just didn't care for. I picked it up at the library, largely because Sapphire had created such a compelling character in Precious that I really wanted to know what happened next, seeing as how this was the sequel and all. I have to admit that it really bothered More...

A very thought-provoking and engaging book. But ultimately confusing and some what unsatisfying. This is a sequel to Push, Sapphire's 1996 novel which was made into the 2009 movie Precious. While you can read The Kid without having read Push, I'd do them in order. If you have not read Push, or seen Precious, this review will have spoilers.

Push ends as as the main character leaves her abusive life behind and creates a new life with her toddler son, Abdul. The Kid begins when Abdul is 9 and his mo More...

It amazes me that many reviewers of this book are disappointed because this work isn't uplifting, hopeful, redeeming, etc. It further astounds me that readers feel as though The Kid "rapes the memory of Push".

First, these are two separate books. Yes, there is a bond between them of Precious, but she is not a living, breathing character in The Kid. She is alive only as much as she is remembered by Abdul/JJ. This is not her story, it is her son's.

I, personally, don't find Push that uplifting. Bu More...

The sequel to Sapphire's "Push," which became the acclaimed movie "Precious," tells of what happened to Precious's son, Abdul, after her passing. Orphaned at nine, Abdul is taken from one abusive (to put it mildly) environment to the next, hardening him and distorting much of his sense of reality.

It's not a book that one enjoys, really, and it's a difficult book to review. I'm sure, sadly, there are real-life stories just like Abdul's that should be told and brought attention to, but it still fe More...

What a terrible, awful book. It's not the writing. Sapphire's writing is amazing. But Abdul is such a terrible, unlikeable, awful person. And being in his head is so disturbing and unsettling, and that is why this is such a terrible book.

My friend Kassie wrote a review over on BlogHer that I agree with completely. This is nothing more I can add to what she's put so well. Please visit her review here.

As Kassie put it, "[T]hese lessons don’t make for easy reads. This is not a book I would read a s More...

Hard to believe, but this was more violent, more sickening, more bleak than it's predecessor "Push". I was horrified in the beginning and then angry and finally depressed by The Kid's story. In my work as an RN and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) I touched on the nightmare lived by children in "the system"; the abuse and neglect and torture they suffered first from blood-family and then from foster-family. Family history and individual identity become too horrific to live with. These damage More...

The Kid was a book that of course, was highly advertised as an "epic follow up to Push", (the acclaimed story of "Precious" and her struggles).
I received this book as a birthday gift and eagerly tore into the pages expecting a harrowing tale of a boy left orphaned by the death of his HIV+ mother and a journey of growth and struggle escaping the ghetto life he was destined for.

Instead, this book disappointed me, disgusted me and even made me shut the pages and put the book down several times. Th More...

I am glad I read "Push," even though it's super-depressing, because it opened my eyes to the horrible situation that a lot of real people are in and it's ultimately inspiring. However, I was really disappointed with this sequel. I felt awful for Abdul, but I really can't say that I liked him or connected with him in any way. Yes, I understand how he became the selfish person that he was. Almost anyone would be the same way if they were in his shoes. I think I didn't like him because I didn't see More...

I honestly had to read this book TWICE just to see if I missed any details or I am misunderstanding anything. Apparently I am not. The upside to this book is that he had a relative to live with and he loves to dance and that seems to be the only thing to keep him from harming others...the downside is the rapes, a supposed murder, and...what the hell was the ending all about? I like Sapphire's book Push but this one has got to go.

I would recommend it to others who may want something different an More...

The sequel to her book, “Push” this story follows the life of Precious Jones’ son, Abdul. The story starts on the day of her funeral and follow Abdul’s life into early adulthood. As other readers have pointed out this is a disturbing book, Abdul’s story isn’t a pretty one, as it’s full of abuse and violence. Sapphire takes us into the head of this complex, troubled individual and does an excellent job of detailing the cycle of abuse, and in showing how this deeply damages a child. Some readers h More...

I am forever scarred from reading this book. I have read many books in my life, but none have caused me so much pain, anguish, and terror as this one. I loved Push because despite the horror of Precious' life, the ending was uplifting and hopeful. This, book, however provides nothing but agony and damage. Why Sapphire would choose to create a life like this for Precious' son is beyond belief. I know that I cannot be the only reader who questions Sapphire's motives for writing this book; she has More...

Oh dear God...I'm only 10 pages in and I'm crying. I will read this book though! I will have the same type of courage that this sweet child shows in just a few paragraphs.

Just... totally unsatisfying. I loved Push and had wanted the best for Precious, but this book just took Precious's struggle and stomped it into nonexistance. Precious wanted to shield Abdul from the life she had endured, but at the end it was all for nothing. I had to slog through this book, force myself to finish because I don't like to give up on books. But this was just a wasted read. I couldn't make sense of Abdul's thoughts, tell fantasy from reality, or even bring myself to like him. This More...

There is absolutely no enjoyment in reading this book. I knew that going in, of course, but I also didn't want to skip it just because I knew it would be tough to get through. It is hard to know exactly what Sapphire was aiming for here. This book is about Abdul Jones, son of the great heroine Precious from Sapphire's first novel "Push". In 'Push', we saw monstrous shit happen to Precious, but it was through no fault of her own - it was simply her unfortunate lot in life. Her father raped her an More...

I had so many expectations for this book because it was the sequal to Push, which I loved so much! Sapphire outdid herself with Push and brought Precious Jones into your heart and you were rooting for her and felt so bad for her... This story began with Precious's funeral. It was to be expected, but still sad and Abdul her son was destined to have a hard life by the way he came into the world.

The book was sad, it was raw, it was shocking at times, at times it was confusing. It was a very depres More...

I loved Push, but I was disappointed in The Kid. The style is very much the same, reality interwoven with dreams/fantasies where neither the reader nor the character are sure which is which at times. Sapphire is excellent at that. I cannot fault her technique at all. And the subject matter, just as brutal as what we found in the story of Precious Jones. But in The Kid, ostensibly the story of Precious Jones' son - and AIDS orphan - Sapphire seems to repeat the story of hopelessness, fear, sexua More...

(FROM JACKET)"The Kid"brings us deep into the interior life of Abdul Jones, son of Sapphire's unforgettable heroine, Precious. A story of body and spirit, rooted in the hungers of flesh and the soul, "The Kid" is a story of survival and awakening, and of one young man's remarkable strength.
We meet Abdul at age nine, on the day of his mother's funeral. Left alone to navigate in a world where love and hate sometimes hideously masquerade, forced to confront unspeakable violence, his history, and th More...