Review of Kalayla

[Nothando N]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Kalayla" by Jeannie Nicholas.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Kalayla , a book by Jeannie Nicholas tells a story of a preteen girl who goes by the name of the book. Its an easy read 3 out of 4 and managed to keep me intrigued as to how Jeannie would wind and knit the many facets that encompass this tale of a fiercely independent, almost unruly child born of a mixed marriage in a culture that was not permissive nor understanding of such unions. The author employs writting in the first persons and each character narrates their individual encounters with Kalayla. In the short journey depicted of her blossoming she introduces real community issues such as joblessness due to lack of skills as evidenced by her uncle Clarence.Kalayla deals with this by being a true entrepenuer cleaving out pennies from within the community. The entrance of Lena in her life is a point of change; she is notonly her landlord but becomes a
champion for her causes to find that which she is passionate about to keep her off the streets. Ìssues brought to the table include loneliness bullying questions of sexuality and how individuals and families deal with them. Kalayla overcones all these real issues and allows the reader to comprehend and understand the gravity and impact our choices and disposition on societal norms have on children.

There are heavy issues discussed herewithin but the honest simplistic style they are presented allows one to engage and digest without feeling overwhelmed.


I have nothing negative to say about the book as the author managed to tackle sensitive issues even those of race without insulting anyone.

I rate this book 3 out of 4as I found it enlightening without being offensive.

Anyone doing teenage counselling parents or simply guidance would find it beneficiary to read this book together with students as a course workbook.

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Kalayla
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