Catch A Falling Star

by Keith Julius

Aleisha Turner was young and attractive, a mother of three beautiful children.Aleisha was also a heroin addict.An overdose sends the young woman's life into turmoil when her children are taken away from her. She finds herself in a Rehab center, the first step in what will prove to be a difficult recovery. She faces a long road ahead to restore normalcy to her life and bring her family back together.Beverly Stone works as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. Her responsibility is to see that Aleisha's children are living in a healthy environment conducive to their welfare, while encouraging their mother to break the deadly habit that has come to monopolize her life. Along the way Beverly muse delve deeper and deeper into a world she could have never imagined, experiencing life from the perspective of the forgotten people who reside in inner city America.

309 pages, Paperback

Published June 3, 2016

About the author

The last of 8 children, Keith was raised in a family that encouraged reading and learning. At an early age he was captivated by such works as "The Call Of The "Wild," "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea," and "Tom Sawyer." At age 12 Keith discovered Doc Savage - a pulp adventurer originally published starting in 1933 but resurrected in the early sixties in a series of Bantam paperbacks. The stories still hold a special place in Keith's heart.
As he grew Keith's reading gravitated to weightier subjects and different authors. As Keith explains - "My plotting has been heavily influenced by Michael Chrichton's style and pacing while my attempts at creating believable characters and dialogue owe a great deal to John Steinbeck. Not that I'm claiming to be anywhere near these two giants of literature. But they are both authors I greatly admire and regard as masters of the craft."

Reviews

[Darin Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met the author of this book while hawking my own wares at the Writers’ Block Book Fair in Toledo a few months back. We struck up a conversation and traded books, and he warned me at the time our genres couldn’t be any more different. Fine by me. I’ve been making a concentrated effort to expand my horizons, and I love supporting other indie authors when I can honestly do so. I have to admit, knowing the subject matter, addiction and recovery, I was afraid it might read like a textbook, dry as dust and full of statistics.

There was no need to worry.

From the riveting opening chapter, Julius drops us right into the mess that is Aleisha Turner’s daily existence. Strung out and desperate to score her next fix, Aleisha prostitutes herself to get what she desperately craves, returning home to her husband and three young children just in time to collapse from the overdose of heroin she just ingested.

We are introduced to Beverly Stone, volunteer for the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Toledo office, who answers the request for assistance from the Lucas County Juvenile Center. Beverly is an empty nester who has also lost her husband somewhat recently. She finds renewed purpose volunteering for CASA, where she acts as the primary advocate for children whose lives are disrupted and frequently endangered by neglectful and troubled parents. She struggles to maintain a professional distance as she helps guide families through the difficult and sometimes impossible task of reunification, always with the children’s best interests at heart.

This is the story of Aleisha’s next six months and the series of court-imposed hurdles she must overcome to reclaim her own life. Julius pulls no punches here. He manages to both educate his readers while subsuming them into this stark reality. Nothing comes easy, and obstacles lurk like land mines all around Aleisha, threatening to undo all of her frangible progress. It was impossible not to become completely invested in the outcome.

Eye-opening and extremely well-written, this was an engrossing and, at times, difficult read. There are currently three other entries in the CASA Chronicles, and I will definitely be reading the others.

[Bedford Library]

This book was written by A.M. book club member Keith Julius

[Tomi Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has left me with a better understanding of drug addiction and how circumstances like domestic violence, and childhood trauma, can push someone toward the dark path of addiction. This book is a must-read for adults interested in the drug addiction field, studying it, or just wanting to learn more about it
Please see my full review in the link below:
https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...

[Jenny Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read my full review at http://blackwords-whitepages1977.blog...

While this is an incredible story, it is also an incredible eye opener. This story not only reeled me in and made me want to root for the character, but it also made me open my mind to the cold hard truth about addictions and what happens to not only the addict but the people in their lives, including the children involved.

The character, Aleisha, had so many hardships in her life that it really made me want to hurt for her. She was such a strong person until she started feeling alone and abandoned. I felt as if I was living this life with the character and not just reading words off the pages.

The story-line was so strong and empowering. This author did an incredible job of bringing forth a problem that is constantly happening everywhere. The sad realization that this author hits home on is how many people truly feel alone in this world and feel as if there is no one to depend on. I applaud this author for the courage it took to write such an incredible eye opener. A piece of my heart and soul has been left within the pages of this book and I highly recommend it.
CAUTION: Due to addictions, death, and some graphic scenes, READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.