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Dirty Little Angels

3.5 of 5 stars 3.50 · rating details · 320 ratings · 238 reviews

Set in the slums of New Orleans, among crack houses and abandoned buildings, Dirty Little Angels is the story of 16-year-old Hailey Trosclair. When the Trosclair family suffers financial hardship and a miscarriage, Hailey finds herself looking to God to save her family. When her prayers go unanswered, Hailey puts her faith in Moses Watkins, a failed preacher and ex-con. Fa...more

Paperback, 147 pages

Published March 1st 2009 by Livingston Press (AL)

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Nov 14, 2009 Linda Johnson rated it 1 of 5 stars

I was also asked to read and review Chris' book. The story is centered around a lifestyle that I cannot connect with, but I was drawn to the way Chris described things. I like his writing style, except for a couple of times when a metaphor got too repetitious, like when Chase's "little red doll mouth" came up several times.
Bad language, sex, and violence always reduce the rating for me. I read to be entertained, not assaulted, although I must say that I have read worse and was glad that he didn...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 21, 2011 Ezinwanyi~For you, Agron (Mira, Crixus, Gannicus & Spartacus) rated it 2 of 5 stars

This story was about a sixteen year girl, Hailey Trosclair, who didn’t seem to have much direction in life. She basically hung out with her older Brother Cyrus, and another girl named Meridian. She was a product of depressed mother and wayward father, so they did not pay much attention to her nor guide her. She eventually tries to get attention by trying to act older than she was and making some foolish decisions.

I can’t say that I enjoyed this book. Usually after I read a book, something stays...more

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Mar 23, 2010 Zeek rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, literary

Sixteen year old Hailey Trosclair lives in a world in the grip of poverty. With a Mom who's never recovered from a miscarriage and a drunk, unemployed father who has no ambition to find a job, she has little example to lead her out of such a life.

In Dirty Little Angels, we follow Hailey as she navigates the bitter options presented to her. With little regard to consequences, she makes choices that lead her to an inevitable crisis of the mind- a crisis that forces her family to finally look up fr...more

5 likes · like · see review

Feb 08, 2011 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-books

Dirty Little Angels is a very startling, very engrossing, and, at times, very disturbing work. Written from the perspective of a young girl, it provides an insider's viewpoint into a very specific and fairly closed culture - that of the lower class in New Orleans. Since the book has no omniscient narrator, details in the lives of the characters - their race, the setting, events of the past - all come out very slowly and much more organically than in most novels. The result is a picture that buil...more

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May 11, 2009 Severa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I absolutely loved this book. It was very well written and had a great message to it. Though I'm not even close to being religious like some of the characters were(I can proudly say I am an Agnostic UU). I liked how I could relate somewhat to the main character and cheer her on throughout the book. I loved the ending to the story, it was perfect in many ways, and I recommend this book to everyone! Thank you Chris Tusa for sending me the ebook of Dirty Little Angels, I enjoyed it very much! Keep...more

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 29, 2009 drey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-reads, fiction-contemporary

I finally got around to reading Dirty Little Angels, and boy. It packs a whammy of a story into such a little (anything under 300 pages is "little" to me...) book. Hailey is complicated. Adrift. Unable to do anything to help anyone around her, unable to figure out what to do about her mom's depression, her dad's addiction, her brother's life of violence. Moses, the preacher, is creepy. The kind of guy who'd make my skin crawl. But to Hailey, he offers hope that God might save her family.

Unfortun...more

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Nov 10, 2011 Elisabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gritty, urban, new, orleans, violent, family

Chris Tusa, author of Dirty Little Angels, contacted me via LibraryThing to review his book. I hadn't heard of the book before, but I am happy to have read it and to be in contact now with a talented new author. I enjoyed the story about 16-year-old Hailey, living in a lower class area outside of New Orleans with her family which is falling apart. Her social life isn't great either, as she doesn't seem to really like her best friend, and the boy she has chosen to be with couldn't be a worse fit....more

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Nov 04, 2009 Rrhodes added it

Recommended to Rrhodes by: Author

This is Mr. Tusa’s first work of fiction. It’s set in the pre-Katrina Louisiana area. The cast of characters are of the type you’d find on Jerry Springer. You have the withdrawn mother, the drunk, gambling addicted father. You have the violent brother with not much going on in his life. And then you have the main character of Hailey Trosclair. When her mother withdraws from the family, her father begins drinking more. Hailey and her brother are drawn to the Minister Moses. Moses dream is to turn...more This is Mr. Tusa’s first work of fiction. It’s set in the pre-Katrina Louisiana area. The cast of characters are of the type you’d find on Jerry Springer. You have the withdrawn mother, the drunk, gambling addicted father. You have the violent brother with not much going on in his life. And then you have the main character of Hailey Trosclair. When her mother withdraws from the family, her father begins drinking more. Hailey and her brother are drawn to the Minister Moses. Moses dream is to turn an old bank, into a drive through Church. As the course of the story unfolds, Moses becomes more and more of a twisted version of someone doing God’s work. Meridian is Hailey’s best friend, and addicted to all forms of surgical enhancement. In fact, each character in this book in someway or another seems to posess their own addictions, be it religion, alcohol, or violence.

While the story is very brief at 147 pages, I found myself drawn into the story, and read it in one afternoon. Mr. Tusa himself was kind enough to provide me with an electronic copy of the book to read. I would say this book was geared more towards the adult reader. If I were to put a rating on it, I would put PG-13, or maybe R. There are some situations such as abortion, violent acts, attempted suicide, etc. that may not be appropriate for younger viewers. There was also a fair amount of strong language, which, while I’m not opposed to, some may want to be aware of if giving this book to your teenagers.

That being said, what did I think of the story. Happily, I must say at first, I didn’t like it. And I mean that in the most positive way. The characters were from the lowest echelons of society, and were rather vile. Meridian for example has the attitude that unless you’ve got a perfect body, your worthless. Jules would rather drink and gamble away his money, than take a job at Wal-Mart. Moses is bent on divine retribution for anyone that he feels is a sinner. About the only “decent” person in young Hailey’s life is her neighbor Verma. It seems deep down that Hailey wants to be a good, righteous person, but struggle with how she can do that.

I loved how the story unfolded and the ending wasn’t something I expected until the last chapter. I’d gladly recommend this book for a good afternoon read. For the first time out of the gates, I feel that Mr. Tusa did a very good job.

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Mar 24, 2009 John Rigney rated it 4 of 5 stars

Seventy years ago, the poet May Sarton wrote about a debut novel “When one puts it down it is not with a feeling of emptiness and despair (which an outline of the plot might suggest), but with a feeling of having been nourished by the truth.” She was writing about Carson McCullers’ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter , but she might have written the same observation today about Chris Tusa’s Dirty Little Angels .

Each story is told from the perspective of a young girl in the American South, though Tusa’s...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Faith rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was so disappointed by this novel. I was expecting something very satisfying. The writing is lovely and the characters real, but at the end, all I could think was “What was the point of this story?” This could be a flaw in me rather than the story, but I'm unable to tell if that is the case.
I see that all the circumstances, not just one or two direct incidents, led to the climax. The climax was somewhat unexpected, but not surprising. The kind of things that happened to her, are often the kin...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Virginia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, in-exchange-for-a-review

I actually did not care for this book until I was about 90 % done. For the most part it was slow paced, uneventful and dull. UNTIL..... the last 10 % was riveting and totally enthralling. I wish more of the book could have been as entertaining as the end.

I did chuckle at a couple of one liners the author used. My particular favorite was "You looking for sympathy? Try the dictionary. It's right between s**t and syphillis." O.K. not a one liner but the sarcasm came shining thru and thats my type o...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Natalie Shannon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tulsa is about a young girl named Hailey and the people in her life. Hailey is growing up in New Orleans with her "dysfunctional" family. Hailey's parents are thinking about getting a divorce. Hailey is very close to her older brother Cyrus. Her brother always gets in trouble with the law. Hailey often prays for God to save her family. Hailey in the end has to put things right so her family can be "saved" and be happy again.

I thought that Dirty Little Angels was very...more

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May 03, 2012 Cindy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, won-in-giveaway

"He’d said he was against sin, that he’d kick it as long as he had a foot, that he’d fight it as long as he had a fist, that he’d butt it as long as he had a head, that he’d bite it as long as he had a tooth. And when he was old and fistless and footless and toothless, he’d gum it till he went home to Glory." -pg. 14

"Everybody talks about how wonderful it is to be a kid. Truth is, it’s tough being young. You kids, you got it worse than us. All the drugs and everything. Kids toting guns to school...more "He’d said he was against sin, that he’d kick it as long as he had a foot, that he’d fight it as long as he had a fist, that he’d butt it as long as he had a head, that he’d bite it as long as he had a tooth. And when he was old and fistless and footless and toothless, he’d gum it till he went home to Glory." -pg. 14

"Everybody talks about how wonderful it is to be a kid. Truth is, it’s tough being young. You kids, you got it worse than us. All the drugs and everything. Kids toting guns to school. My generation had it easy. Compared to what you kids got to deal with." -pg. 48

"I thought about how I’d spent my life waiting for God to save me and my family. Maybe I’d been wrong all along, I thought. Maybe God didn’t save us after all. Maybe we had to save ourselves, and each other, first." -pg. 176

Dirty Little Angels is told from the point-of-view of a 16-year-old named Hailey. Her life seems to be a little more hectic than normal. Her mother is depressed after her recent miscarriage, her father is a drunk that would rather be out playing pool than looking for a job, and her brother is out stealing and doing drugs. Despite all that, though, they are a loving family. Hailey and her brother get mixed up with Moses, a 'religious' man who wants to open a drive-through church and punishes sinners. Things get out of hand one day and their lives take a turn for the worse. In the end they will find out who they can really trust.

I found this book to be very interesting. Having grown up in a similar environment, I found this book to be realistic. These things actually happen, people. It was nothing like I expected it to be and I'm thankful that I recieved it as a Member Giveaway because I'm not sure I would have picked it up otherwise. I liked most of the characters, except Meridian. I hate Meridian.
The ending left me a little dissapointed, though. I would have liked to know what happened to Hailey and Cyrus after that whole incident at the end.
Overall, this was a very good book.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Apr 22, 2012 Mirrani rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished-and-reviewed

Dirty Little Angels is, as is suggested in the title, a book with a darker context than most. Focusing on hardships and struggles of the youth of today who find themselves ignored by parents and without much guidance, this is a quick and enjoyable read that gives some hope to someone gone astray finding a better path. Of course, it then takes that hope away from you, but in a way that makes you ponder your own life situation and, at times, makes you grateful for what you have.

I think the story c...more

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Apr 21, 2012 Angie ~aka Reading Machine~ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads-review-books

The Trosclair Family has had it's share of ups and downs lately. Hailey is sixteen years old and trying to cope with her mama being depressed and her daddy doing nothing but drinking since he's been laid off three months before at his meat packing job. Six months ago Hailey's mom had miscarriage and does nothing but lay around in bed. Hailey's brother Cyrus tries looking out for Hailey even though he's on parole again. Cyrus introduces Moses to Hailey. Moses seems alright in Hailey's eyes but is...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 04, 2012 Eustacia Tan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook

I managed to finish another ebook today. I think my ebook reading speed has increased! ^_^ Anyway, remember how I was complaining about monotony in my reading (that one period of time where I read a lot of chic-lit)? Well, I can safely say that Dirty Little Angels is unlike those novels.

The novel is one of those disturbing ones that you feel compelled to keep reading. It's really dark, due mainly to the portrayal of the lower-income class. I could actually see this as a novel to be studied in L...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Dorothyanne Brown rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lately I signed up for Librarything http://www.librarything.com/, where I immediately volunteered to be an early reviewer. It is madness. You can skim through books coming out soon and then select ones you are interested in and the authors send it to you in exchange for a review!!! Life is very good. For an addict like myself, it allows me to feed my craze with no payment other than writing, which I should be doing already. It’s like cutting back on chocolate by eating caramels.

True, early revie...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Terre rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Other reviews have called this a brutal, gritty coming-of-age novel, and it is that.
However I feel such a description might place this story in the wrong category. It is a coming-of-age story in the same way Bastard out of Carolina was; basically a story of someone growing up and into the cruelest knowledge that those around her are damaged and not nearly good enough to be ushering a young soul into adulthood.
Hailey Trosclair is a sixteen year old girl in New Orleans whose father is an unmotiv...more

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Jul 05, 2011 Rochelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

The emotion, thoughts and decision making processes in this story are raw and very realistic. The teenage behaviours, mother and boy trouble and struggle with identity was written without any sugar coating. Although personal circumstances are different the internal process that translates to Hailey's external behaviours is very relatable. There is no glamour, no falsity and the author forced me to read in almost one sitting.
Following Hailey exploring her inner self, her outer self and everything...more

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Jun 29, 2011 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Chris Tusa’s “Dirty Little Angels” follows Hailey Trosclair, a misguided, impressionable fifteen year old through her flirtations with promiscuity, violence and drug use. She has an unemployed, alcoholic father that spends all his time in pool halls and strip clubs, a mother who is clinically depressed after a miscarriage and a brother that introduces her to a whole cast of miscreants. I would recommend to anyone wanting an intimate look into the lives of a dysfunctional family.

As a parent I wa...more

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May 26, 2011 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I first started to read this book, I found that it was walking that line between darkness and light. It carried you through the turmoil of a teenage girls life as she watched all she knew and loved change, the innocence was stripped away from her and the betrayal she felt not only from someone that was close but, friends and companions throughout the story rivaled that of some memories through my own child hood.

It is a fine read and one I personally commend the author on writing he took the...more

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May 20, 2011 Krystal rated it 4 of 5 stars

The author really captures the young adult mind-set and feeling in this novel. The novel is very "dark", even depressing; however, the author means to represent a certain reality in many societies. The reader will have to restrain her/himself throughout the book from wanting to shake the characters and tell them what to do, however, this is likely the author's intention. A good author evokes a response in the reader, a quality Tusa has down pat. Hailey makes for a good protagonist, definitely el...more

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Feb 25, 2011 Lily added it

Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa
Reviewed by Moirae the fates book reviews

Set in the slums of New Orleans, among clusters of crack houses and abandoned buildings, Dirty Little Angels is the story of sixteen year old Hailey Trosclair. When the Trosclair family suffers a string of financial hardships and a miscarriage, Hailey finds herself looking to God to save her family. When her prayers go unanswered, Hailey puts her faith in Moses Watkins, a failed preacher and ex-con. Fascinated by Moses' lo...more Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa
Reviewed by Moirae the fates book reviews

Set in the slums of New Orleans, among clusters of crack houses and abandoned buildings, Dirty Little Angels is the story of sixteen year old Hailey Trosclair. When the Trosclair family suffers a string of financial hardships and a miscarriage, Hailey finds herself looking to God to save her family. When her prayers go unanswered, Hailey puts her faith in Moses Watkins, a failed preacher and ex-con. Fascinated by Moses' lopsided view of religion, Hailey, and her brother Cyrus, begin spending time down at an abandoned bank that Moses plans to convert into a drive-through church. Gradually, though, Moses' twisted religious beliefs become increasingly more violent, and Hailey and Cyrus soon find themselves trapped in a world of danger and fear from which there may be no escape. (Synopsis provided by goodreads)

I don't normally read books as dark as this one. (The darkest I get is usually horror, even then I have to be in the mood). While reading this book, I never thought it would have a happily ever after ending.
There was a lot of violence in this book, for me the animal violence was hardest to read as I am a huge animal person. Aside from that, I liked the book. It's not for everyone by any means. The writing is good and the characters always felt real to me. Tusa isn't afraid of having flawed characters. I like it when a reader can easily find the flaws in a character it makes them more real. Tusa, doesn't have any Mary-sue characters which is a welcome relief!
As dark as this book was, I found myself unable to stop reading. The descriptions are very vivid and realistic.
Tusa is a promising new author and if you enjoy dark gritty stories you'll like this one, if a lot of violence, sex, and non-happy endings bother you, I would suggest you skip this one.

Overall rating:
***1/2 3 ½ out of 5 stars

Cover art:
I found the cover art interesting it reflected the story well.

Obtained:
I won an e-copy of the book from the author via librarything. Thank you!
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Feb 24, 2011 Jessi Adams rated it 3 of 5 stars

Finished Dirty Little Angels today. Starting to think that I'm just not meant to read fiction, because I wasn't that impressed with this one, either. Written about a girl in New Orleans with a troubled life, Tusa starts out the story with beautiful imagery. The first page of the book made me think of She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb, which was an amazing book. I was disappointed in the end though. The entire story just didn't feel right. People didn't seem to stay true to their motives. For insta...more Finished Dirty Little Angels today. Starting to think that I'm just not meant to read fiction, because I wasn't that impressed with this one, either. Written about a girl in New Orleans with a troubled life, Tusa starts out the story with beautiful imagery. The first page of the book made me think of She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb, which was an amazing book. I was disappointed in the end though. The entire story just didn't feel right. People didn't seem to stay true to their motives. For instance, Moses, one of the main characters is an all-around skeezbag who starts a "church" in an abandoned building, and preaches a lot about Jesus and salvation. His motives don't appear to stay consistent throughout the story. For instance, dog fighting, illicit drugs, alcohol, these things don't appear to bother Moses, and he never really offers an explanation to defend them in his version of Christianity. He wouldn't be the first religious hypocrite in the world, hoever, so I'll let that one go. It should be noted that although the back cover claims Moses to be a main part of the story, he really is periperal to everything else going on in the main character, Hailey's life.
Although the writing is pretty good, and the story is entertaining, I found the character's motives either completely absent or lacking in depth or completely unbelievable. At one point, its noted that Hailey's mother defied her parents and married Hailey's father, thereby knocking her out of the family inheritance....seriously? Family inheritance? Does it get much more cliche than that?
Hailey herself reads as a much more troubled child than a middle-class white girl with unemployed parents should really feel. She seems completely unfazed by her friend's (and her own) underage drinking, drugs, plastic surgery and even beatings. The story is told from Hailey's eyes, and at times it seems as though its being told by a much younger child. I kept forgetting that she wasn't 9 years old, because her voice really seemed that way.
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Feb 12, 2011 Norma rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a gritty tail told from the eyes of a 16 year old named Hailey. Hailey attempts to put into perspective her alcoholic father, her depressed mom, and her miscreant brother.

This author definitely has a way with descriptions and metaphors. A perfect example would be “I could feel little pinpricks of light behind my eyes, my muscles started to squirm like a black nest of moccasins, and my blood felt like chiggers wriggling under my skin.”

Hailey’s mom spends her days laying listlessly in bed...more

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Jan 29, 2011 Sproe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa

Chris Tusa gets the reader involved immediately in the struggle 16-year-old Hailey Troslcair is having in this very different “coming of age” novel. Hailey faces the challenges of coping with a dysfunctional unhappy family, well-meaning but ineffectual neighbors who give advice and friends who turn out not to be much in the way of friends. She does what most teenagers to – tries to fit in with her peers, eager to meet and hang out with her older brother’s friends...more

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Nov 22, 2010 Heatherly rated it 1 of 5 stars

I was recently asked to review a copy of Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa. Off the blurb given it seemed like it might be a decent read.

"Set in the slums of New Orleans, among clusters of crack houses and abandoned buildings, Dirty Little Angels is the story of sixteen year old Hailey Trosclair. When the Trosclair family suffers a string of financial hardships and a miscarriage, Hailey finds herself looking to God to save her family. When her prayers go unanswered, Hailey puts her faith in Mo...more I was recently asked to review a copy of Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa. Off the blurb given it seemed like it might be a decent read.

"Set in the slums of New Orleans, among clusters of crack houses and abandoned buildings, Dirty Little Angels is the story of sixteen year old Hailey Trosclair. When the Trosclair family suffers a string of financial hardships and a miscarriage, Hailey finds herself looking to God to save her family. When her prayers go unanswered, Hailey puts her faith in Moses Watkins, a failed preacher and ex-con. Fascinated by Moses’s lopsided view of religion, Hailey, and her brother Cyrus, begin spending time down at an abandoned bank that Moses plans to convert into a drive-through church. Gradually, though, Moses’s twisted religious beliefs become increasingly more violent, and Hailey and Cyrus soon find themselves trapped in a world of danger and fear from which there may be no escape." - LibraryThing

One of the editorial reviews on Amazon.com called it "the To Kill a Mockingbird of 2009". I would have to grossly disagree. Though I think the idea seemed great and the characters are decently fleshed out, there is no real point to the story. There is no "what it's about" it's a "who it's about". Hailey is who it's about, but I felt like she wasn't real enough to really care about. She walks through the story with no one really tying her down. She has a brother, a set of parents, a best friend, etc. but she has no one that is just hers that she really relates to and confides in. Her first sexual encounter is rushed and done with her best friend's boyfriend while the best friend was sleeping. There was no thoughts to it, just impulse and no consequences. It seemed surreal.

Also, calling Dirty Little Angels a novel is a huge stretch of the term. At best it's a novella, though it seems more like a short story that rambles. If it says anything, I was reading and expecting the climax of the story to happen at any turn of the page; and then it just ended. Looking back, I can find the climax; but it seems a little hollow. I expected something more.

It really seems like it would have been a great story if given some more time, some more editing, and some more plot. The story feels unfinished and hopelessly filled with product placement and bad decisions to make it seem more gritty and real. Instead it feels a little fake, a little desperate, and very undone. It could have been so much better, but I think the author lost his way a little and then rushed to hit the end for publication. It could have been great. Maybe not up there with To Kill a Mockingbird, but at least something more than an inflated short story with no point.(less)

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Oct 04, 2010 Justin Ball rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book in many ways is one of the best books I have read. The book is very brief with only 848 pages in iBook but was instantly drawn in to the story and read half of it in one sitting. As far as character development it was somewhat relatable to "let the right one in" as far as the (main)ish character is one that does terrible some would say evil things but gain the most sympathy because until others their situation is based on the situations that they are in. In this situation the main char...more

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Aug 10, 2010 Molly Jo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: blogged-books

This book had me reflecting on times in my life when I felt disillusioned by faith and life in general, which happens to everyone at some point or another. Chris Tusa did a wonderful job of conveying the confusion and hollowness that comes with that process. I'll admit, I had to let the book marinate for about a week or so before I could give an accurate answer as to whether or not I liked it because my emotions were so raw.

I liked it very much.

I went to high school at my hometown's "inner city"...more This book had me reflecting on times in my life when I felt disillusioned by faith and life in general, which happens to everyone at some point or another. Chris Tusa did a wonderful job of conveying the confusion and hollowness that comes with that process. I'll admit, I had to let the book marinate for about a week or so before I could give an accurate answer as to whether or not I liked it because my emotions were so raw.

I liked it very much.

I went to high school at my hometown's "inner city" school (which isn't that impressive; Pensacola's not that big) and Hailey's environment and situation reminded me of several friends. I think that's why I had such a strong reaction to the story. I also saw parts of myself reflected in Hailey: timid in certain environments, second fiddle to her friend, Meridian, and struggling to find her place in the world. She also feels it is her duty to keep her family together and protect various relatives, even from themselves. I can remember trying to take on this responsibility, also, when I was way too young to understand the elements.

Hailey's struggle with faith is constantly stoked by various betrayals and circumstances outside of her control. She finds herself way in over her head throughout the book and ultimately comes to the conclusion that she can only rely on herself. After putting her trust in people who have continually let her down, Hailey decides that she can only have faith in herself. She uses that strength to dig her way out of the hole she found herself in, feeling that you have to save yourself, not wait for someone to do it for you.

I read this book in one sitting. It was completely absorbing and I couldn't put it down. It was a difficult read, but so good. It provided a very realistic view of the realities of being poor and conflicts of faith. I loved the metaphor of the dirty angels that comes up a couple times in the book, more than just as a title. The story flows beautifully, and sucks you in quickly. I would definitely recommend it, especially if it feels like something you might not choose for yourself.(less)

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May 25, 2010 Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009

Disclaimer: I received this ebook from Chris Tusa on Librarything's Member Giveaway.

"Dirty Little Angels" is a short novel, or a long short story depending on how you look at it, which follows the life of 16 year old Hailey Trosclair. Hailey lives in New Orleans, but could live almost any slum in the world. Her father just lost his job, her mother, a nurse, suffers from depression brought on by poverty (and "what could have been if...?") as well as a miscarriage.
A confused teenager, Hailey and...more

2 likes · like · see review

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About Chris Tusa

Chris Tusa was born and raised in New Orleans. He holds a B.A. in English, an M.A in English, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Florida. Aside from teaching in the English Department at LSU, he also acts as Managing Editor for Poetry Southeast. With the help of a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, he was able to complete his first chapbook of poetry, Inventing an...more

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“People make mistakes. You can‟t go around blaming people for how your life turns out. The only person you got to blame for how your life turns out is you.” — 6 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6079881-dirty-little-angels?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347314635l/6079881.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6079881-dirty-little-angels?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa[/url]

Dirty Little Angels

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