Just Gone

by William Kowalski

Mother Anqelique runs a shelter for homeless mothers and their children in a run-down inner-city area, where drug addiction, prostitution and random acts of violence are facts of life. One day, newly orphaned Jamal and his sister Chantay arrive at the shelter, hungry and scared. As Angelique tries to find a new home for them, she develops a fascination with seven-year-old Jamal, who seems to inhabit a world of his own. Jamal tells her fantastic stories of a man named Jacky Wacky, who protects the poor children of the city and punishes the adults who harm them. A God-fearing woman, Angelique doesn't believe his stories at first. But strange things begin to happen whenever Jamal is around, and Mother Angelique is forced to admit that the world may contain stranger truths than her faith can explain.

Genres: Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2013

Reviews

[Gerard · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is written from the perspective of a woman running a shelter in a rough neighborhood in New York but it is written by someone whose only experience with the city is re runs of NYPD Blue.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was impressed that the story actually drew me in & kept my attention. I like the concept of "Jacky Wacky" - if only he were real! I'll be passing this on to my daughter to read.

[Juanita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: Just Gone by William Kowalski. 3.5★'s 04/19/2018

I happen to come across the books, “Rapid Reads” by different authors and this is the latest one and I found it inspiriting and education. I think that all the books are written with a message to the reader and this one was for teenagers and others who need insight for exploited and abused inner-city victims. It’s a short novel that ties in with mystical urban legends within the inner cities.

The book was written well and the message was very clear and understanding. The story emphasizes on the lives of poor children who have suffered through some form of violence and abuse. There is an inner-city shelter managed by Mother Angelique for homeless mothers and children. One day she had two new needy orphaned children named Jamal and his sister Chantay who were living on the streets. They were dirty, covered with rat bites, hungry and scared. Mother Angelique fed them and tried to find a home for them. They begged her not to call the authorities because they were afraid they would be separated.

She didn’t report them because she was fascinated with seven-year-old Jamal and his many stories. Mother Angelique starts accepting that the world may contain stranger truths than her faith can expect.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was a bit of a departure for Kowalski. As usual for his books, the narrator was a solid character pulling you into their life. However, with the introduction of Jacky Wacky, a pied piper style savior of children, it seemed to venture into a quasi-supernatural kind of area that never quite worked for me.

Urban legend meets Stephen King. Not one of my favorites. 2.6

[Valter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best like it

[Cherney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story.

[Teresa]

Okay so this was a super short story. I was expecting a novel - I read an ebook. Love the character of Mother Angelique. Not sure what to rate as I want expecting the end.

[Miloo · Rating 3 out of 5]

❤️💚💜 av 5st

[~Ylva~ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read for school. The writing and story made no sense, alot of unnecessary things

[Daphne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rapid Reads

[Lauren Spalluto]

The quick read, Just Gone, only 107 pages, written by William Kowalski, occurs in a crowded inner-city where poverty, violence, and drug addictions happen frequently. The main character, Jamal, along with his sister, Chantey, are orphans who wind up at a shelter for homeless mothers and their children. There, they bond with a worker at the shelter named Mother Angelique, especially Jamal. Throughout the book, the story is spoken from Mother Angelique’s perspective. She tries everything she can to try to find the children a new home; meanwhile, she discovers that Jamal is always mentioning a man named Jacky Wacky, who is said to be the man who protects and aids the children that need his help. He is known to feed children without access to food and keep them out of danger; meanwhile, he also punishes the adults who cause harm to the children, sometimes as severe as death. However, Jamal becomes confused with the fantasies of Jacky Wacky and the real world, causing problems along the way.
Kowalski’s story is exceedingly complex and is arduous to understand. William goes deep into description; I had to read some sections two or even three times over again to comprehend it. Just Gone embraces a theme in which to never give up hope and faith no matter how difficult life can get. While Jamal and Chantey might never be able to find people to call family and are very unlikely to be getting out of the shelter anytime soon, they kept their belief in God and that he will come to help them soon. Jamal and Chantey eventually were able to vacate the shelter in the end. The story portrays a mood of fear and sympathy for the less fortunate characters in the book. While reading the book, I felt sorrow for Jamal and Chantey, only being young kids, trying to survive in a harsh community that they live in. This created fear in my stomach because I did not want the children in the book to be in anymore trouble, for they have been through enough. Kowalski’s writing made it effortless to enjoy the book while I read.
Just Gone is overall an impressive book. I originally picked up the book, thinking it was going to be an easy read; however, it covers complicated conflicts in life and is also written at a higher level. Kowalski’s book is best for mature teenagers; too difficult for anyone younger and might not suit those older. Personally, the book was one that I looked forward to reading each day. In conclusion, Kowalski’s Just Gone is an extraordinary book that is worth the while to sit down and read.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just Gone is a Rapid Reads novel and true to its name it won't take you long to read. It is only a hundred pages or so and the print is nice and big. But the story spans several decades. And I think the large time span coupled with the short length limits the depths of the characters to some extent. You get to know the narrator, Mother Angelique, best because she is, obviously, a constant in the story. But the two children we are introduced to that she is trying to help we only see in little snapshots. We see them as little children and then we get to see them after they have had to survive in the world for years on their own. You get the idea of what happened in the intervening years but no details. So you don't really get to know them that well. The story does a good job of giving the reader a feeling for the despair and hardship of poverty and living in the streets. But it does so without leaving the reader without any hope of better things to come. It has the feeling of an urban legend to me. (Which is appropriate considering the plot.) It’s like a story told over and over until some of the details have been lost and some things have become rather vague. Everyone has heard it but no one can remember how it started and you are almost sure if you hear it again it will not be exactly the same. The concept is good and the narrator interesting so the book is a good way to spend an hour or so but if it had been any longer I think I would have lost interest.

[Emily D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I understand the idea behind the the Rapid Reads series; I am a retired High School teacher and have seen first hand young adults struggling with poverty, hopelessness,and lack of "educated" skills. This book only fits into that category and would not be the least bit appropriate for the general reader. The novel, really a short story, is compelling but not deep because of the intended audience (which in itself is an issue with me). The Jacky Tacky character is intriguing but never explored. Also, a perusal of the other titles in the series reveals that the books are only intended for the marginal in an urban setting. Life is not all bucolic for the rural poor and disengaged either, so the series is again, only intended for a small target group.

[Uggy Higgins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice short story about two kids that have to vend for themselves after their mother is killed and sister Angelique running a shelter for run-aways and people that have nowhere else to go. The story tells about a myth that seems to take on a live of its own. Well done, somewhat predictable but also a small reminder that there are people in the world that the middleclass shunts due to the violent lifestyle and arguably negative attitudes they may have, as if there is anything they can do about it. However, nice story, quick read.

[Nicole Luiken]

Another Sunburst read.

[Shannon Rickert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy these Rapid Reads!! Can't wait to find more.

[Keith Gorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short read. I enjoyed the characters and the natural progression the story took.