Baby Huey

by James Henderson

A brilliant urban comic/tragedy that weaves satire, sarcasm and social commentary into a tightly wound anti-drug novel with an unforgettable climax.

Genres: Fiction, African American

401 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2010

Reviews

[☺~Tina~☺ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The instruction manual on How To Become a Crackhead. It was like watching a cow give birth. It is hard to look at but you are to fascinated to turn away. I think I was slowly shaking my head for 3/4's of the book. The story follows John Dough-in his mid 20's- as he goes from a married man, with a step son and a mediocre job to well, a crackhead.

There was humor in the book, enough to make me smile through most of the book. Because even though John made one dense decision after the next, you couldn't help but to like him and root for him.

Even though someone turning into a crackhead isn't funny, their actions are hilarious. And why is the crackhead the last to know they are a crackhead? Whenever you find yourself in a car rolling with a dude that has on a green wig and a crowbar under the sit for enforcement, you can probably safely say your life is spiraling out of control.

I enjoyed the book and couldn't wait to see the outcome of John's life.

[Ericka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really hit close to home for me, I also have family members that are battling addiction. Meet John, handsome guy married to a beautiful women with a wonderful stepson. Their not rich but they're not wanting for anything either. This story really started to get interesting when John quit his old job thinking he was hired at a better paying job, but later finding out that the position that was promised to him was given to someone else. Not being able to break the news to his wife Doreen, he heads to the nearest liqueur store to find a bottle to drown his sorrows in. There he meets a smooth talker name Fifty who ends up turning John to smoking crack. And when I say smoke I mean smokin honey, going on five day binges smoking all day and night. He starts taking money from the family's bank account thirty-two thousand dollars to be exact. John is in real deep, reaching his all time lows when he sold his most prized possession, his Cadillac and tried to rob his uncle for his safe full of money. But who is this man name Fifty? And what was his intentions when he started John to smoking? Yeah that's right my man Fifty has his own reasons as to why he wants to break John down to his lowest.
This story was a very good reality check on the harsh consequences of drugs, and how they can affect a family. The plot was very strong with a lot of drama, twist and turns. I wish John could have had a better ending than he did.But that just let's you know how strong of an addiction crack is. I mean John lost everything, his car, his wife to his best friend, his house. He was reduced to living on the street as a bum. Now like I always ask around this time. Would I recommend this book to anyone else? Yes buy this book... On a scale of 1- 10 what would I rate this book? I would give it a 7.....
Well everyone I'm outta here, take care and thanks for reading.....

[Monique D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever missed a book after you were done reading it? That's how I feel about BABY HUEY. There are so many things I like about this book. I fell in love with the main character, John Dough (love the name), from the first page. The author developed his character with care and precision. He was funny, dark, and addictive (pun intended). Even when I realized how incredibly stupid John was, I was never annoyed by him, and I maintained my love for his character. I didn't read the reviews before downloading this book so I had no idea this man was going to turn into a crackhead, but when he did . . . Whoa! I hope I don't offend the author when I ask, "have you been a crack addict before?" The way the author detailed the life of a crack addicted man, spiraling on his way to rock bottom, had me believing that this was based on a personal experience. Then the end, so disturbing but impactful, I had to stop myself from crying. Whether this story was based on true events or not, Henderson is a phenomenal talent that I can't stop talking about. I've already got about ten people to download this book, and I'm working on more. All the best, Mr. Henderson.

[Not Now...Mommy's Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I'm, like, almost speechless.

Wow.

My stomach aches and my chest is tight and I'd like to blame it on the mocha frappe I had this morning - and every morning for the past week - but I can't. This novel was an emotional roller-coaster. I laughed, I groaned, and I smiled as I journeyed with John Dough who went from an average man trying to make his marriage work while attempting to bond with his step son and working a below-minimum wage paying job to a crackhead. Several times I wanted to smack John upside the head- seeing the "setup" for what it was.

Never having even smoked weed, I knew that I knew that I wanted nothing to do with drugs after reading Donald Goine's "Dopefiend". Baby Huey just reaffirmed this on a deeper level. Watching the mess John made of his life and the pain his loved ones suffered as the addiction took hold of him was - I don't even have the words. Even knowing that there could possibly be no HEA for him, I still prayed for one for John. It's so disheartening to know that there are people who actually experience this "hopelessness" on a daily basis. Too much realness for me.

My tummy hurts. =(

[Sean 808080 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heavy In every sense of the word. I couldn't put it down.

[Iamthez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal.

Most stories that deal with drugs do it in such a horrible, serious way ... which really, is very befitting the situation anyways. On the drug hierarchy, crack is on the very bottom, and for good reason. It was astounding to see how quickly the shift from regular average Joe to regular average crackhead Joe went. One of those 'blink and you miss it' deals.

I also liked how through it all, John Dough (greatest name ever for a character) still stayed essentially the same, which kind of explains why people have such a hard time cutting drug addicts out of their lives. John still loves his wife, still loves his family and friends, still thinks that he can stop at any time and magically fix his life, but the drugs are too powerful for him. Even when he's in situations that make him go "HOLY $%@#", all he has to do is smoke a rock, and he's happy again, giggling over the same situation that made him crap his pants.

I am absolutely recommending this book to as many people I know. Definitely a keeper and a re-read.

Bonus: It's on sale for the kindle right now. Made the decision to buy it that much easier :P

[Dierdra McGill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story about a man who becomes addicted to drugs and how his life spirals out of control. A page turner and the writing was good but there were a few things that just annoyed me about this book why I settled on 3 stars and not 4 or 5.
The first thing was the slang the characters used, they would speak without any slang then all of a sudden that is the only way they speak and then go back to talking with none. At times it felt like it was an excuse to leave out missing words like "mama waiting for me" but when he talks other places he would say mama is waiting for me. For me it took some away from the story.
The other thing that annoyed me was there was a LOT of jumping ahead in the story and I was left confused and irritated because I wanted to know how he got from point A to point B.
The last thing that really annoyed me about the book was that there seemed to be a lot of filler that was not needed, did John have HIV or what!? They throw it around but it never lead anywhere.
Overall tho these were minor annoyances and this was a well written book about drug addiction and I enjoyed it. I would read more from the author.

[Gonza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down. It was sad, hilarious... logical and tragic all at the same time. I understood the crackhead because he explained himself every step of the way. I would have preferred a different ending but I doubt it could be possible.

[Cil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

Read this and even though the lead character irritated me, loved the book. Everyone felt like someone I know/ have known.

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was like a dumpster fire... no good came from any of the main character's decisions but you just cannot look away! Pretty funny in most parts, overall a decent read.

[Chirré Barksdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very disturbing but at the same time interesting. It opened my eyes to how easy it is for someone to get caught up and become a drug addict. The guy in this book was happily married and doing well for himself until his wife's ex enters the picture and gets him hooked on drugs. It was a sad story but one that I now many people are able to relate to all too well.

[Ben Hathaway · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christ alive. Not exactly the uplifting comic tale my heart and head yearn for. Unbelievably fucking depressing, especially the ending. I expected a twist, not the predictable Lewis/Lewis saga which panned out in the most obvious way possible. It depends what you want out of a book admittedly. If I wanted a bleak take on how crack addiction ruins lives surrounded by every possible cliched stereotype then admittedly I've hit the jackpot with this one. No humour or satire of any description to counteract it.

Calling the genuine villain of the book Fifty, real scenes. Real scenes.

If you were searching for positives, then maybe you could use this as an educational tool in schools, and Henderson does a fine job of leaving the central character (John Dough, wow) in potentially the worst state any character in any book has ever been in. So that moved it from one star to two, for me.

Its a bad one, lads.

[James Fant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravo!!!

Baby Huey is my second James Henderson novel and dude did his thing once again. He tells the story of crackhead, John Dough, how he falls into addiction and slowly sells off everything he owns...perhaps even his soul. As I read the novel, I laughed because of all the hilarious bits. However, a part of me felt horrible for John Dough like he was a real person. Like I was watching this real person burn his life away with each rock. And I think, Wow!!! James Henderson makes this seem a little too real. I have family members who have gone through crack addiction and I could see that look of loss in John's eyes. But he's just a fictional character. I guess that is the genius of an author's ability to create a world that is so believable you can see it.

Bravo, Mr. Henderson. On to the next novel: Pernicious.

[Charley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will say that I liked this book. I was unable to put it down, but I guess I'm just a sucker for happy ending after a character goes through everything he did (self inflicted & otherwise.) Regardless, the story itself is as the title describes it...A cautionary tale. You watch as the main character quickly spirals out of control because of a single, bad decision. You see how at once he knows there is something wrong, but fights his cognitive dissonance by delving deeper and deeper into the problem and doing the wrong things. At the end, when it seems his life is FINALLY on track, it all catches up with him and WHAM...life as he knows it is over!

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this for only .99 on Amazon for my Kindle, and I'm glad I only spent a buck. I'm not quite sure why this book got nearly 5 stars by most other reviewers? Maybe I'm a snot - typos don't leave a good impression on me. At times the writing was beautiful, creative...and then the next few paragraphs seemed unedited, or written by a different person all together.

Overall, it was a good story in general - I did enjoy the last 25% of the book, and the ending was unexpected, but throughout a good portion of my reading I wasn't sure I could make myself finish it.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, one of the best .99 cents I've ever spent. I absolutely melded with the characters and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen. And the ending!! It's been a long time since I read a book and in the last chapter, thought to myself "OMG, I can't believe this is happening!" I never saw it coming. Try this book, you'll love it. And it's Lendable on the Kindle if somebody wants to borrow it from me.

[Isabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started out too slow for me. I could not make the connections about his great dislike for Lewis. I thought it had a lityle humor to it, but was not totally impressed. I wend on to read four other books before I decided to see where the Author was going with this book. I did not think it eould turn out the way it did. Sad ending but true. Great read.

[Charisse Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crack kills

Living in a society where we I've always known about addiction, is helpful to find a book to help understand what drug addicts go through. To know signs, warnings, and signals to look for. This book helps you understand it's more like an disease than anything. Drugs ends happy families, homes, and marriages.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first purchased this book. I did not know what to think.
Once I started reading I was so into this book and the characters.

all I can say is WOW....This book teaches a real life lesson and the power of drugs and
what it takes to overcome drugs

[Stephanie Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It was well written, and I was able to place myself within the story and watch it up fold. I was also able to relate to some of the situations in the book. This was one of the first ebooks that I read, which has inspired me to continue to read.

[Shoulanda August · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Vivid details and descriptions of how crack can turn an average Joe into a monster. A tale of lies and deceptions. I had visions of how it would end but John knew before I did. A love for one woman turned two men insane.

[James Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wasn't wowed by the story because I've read it a thousand times. Still, I couldn't bring myself to give it less than 5 stars.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book! Well written, though a pretty depressing story.

[Verena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expect this book to be in my top 5 books read in 2011. Just outstanding. If you've ever wondered how quickly a life can spiral out of control, this novel will give you an excellent example.

[Nakia Laushaul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I giggle to think that I loved this story about a crack head so much. You have got to trust me and read this book. You'll want to smack your Kindle.

[Tawa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weird book, but I'll let u be the Judge...

[Shannon Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story.

[Gina Marcelin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so good that I actually bought another one of the writers books.
It was so easy to read that it was more like someone sitting down & telling you their story.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

[Nycki Sutton-edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book!