Balancing Act

by Anita Richmond Bunkley

When a chemical explosion in a facility owned by her employer rocks her hometown of Flatwoods, Texas, Elise Jeffries is torn between professional ethics and personal loyalty to her childhood friends

Genres: Fiction

352 pages, Hardcover

Published July 1, 1997

About the author

Anita Bunkley is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters and an NAACP Image Award nominee. She writes African-American mainstream and romance. She lives in Houston, Texas.

Reviews

[Shannan Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a woman torn between the community she grew up in and her job. Not a bad read

#Cillasbookmaniacs

[Stacie Tyndal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a lot and it's been my experience that when a book has a Prologue that says, for example, July 9,1995 I normally expect Chapter 1 to also provide a year so I'm aware of when the "story" is actually starting. That was not the case with this particular book. Maybe it was to build suspense. Elise Jeffries was described as having walnut brown hair. I'm still trying to picture that and I keep coming up with blond not brown, but anyway. This book got off to a slow start for me. Just when I was getting super bored with it Elise took a shower and Blake walked in. Nick of time to. Me and the book were just about to part ways. I know I'm nitpicky but author's need to pay attention to their characters because I am. On one page the character of Yusef Kirk had his hair styled in dreads. And just 2 pages later he was described with his hair in braids. And this was without the benefit of a visit to the salon. He was still standing at the same podium as the previous page. This book was just okay to me.I did like the relationship between Elise and Blake and I despised Carlos Rico. This author is a huge fan of narrative and I'm a huge fan of dialogue. It was an interesting story line so I suppose I would recommend it.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book about a media person for a large corporation, who begins to doubt that what she is putting forth to the media about the corporation is totally true. After a fire at the plant in her former Texas hometown, her friends tell her that noxious fumes and other terrible things have been released from the plant causing the neighborhood people to become ill. She must sort out the truth about what the coproration actually manufatures and it may not be security products.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story reminded me waaay too much of Erin Brockovich. Definitely did not enjoy it.

Then again, it's been a while since I've read this book, so a re-read might change the above rating.

Not likely though.