Official Review: The Red Sheep by Paul Richardson

[Harty Muli]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Red Sheep" by Paul Richardson.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The novel The Red Sheep by Paul Richardson explores some interesting facts about growing up and parenthood. In the process, it affirms that we're the product of our own actions and thought.

One day, Allie faced a barrage of questions from her twelve-year-old daughter, Jessica. Apparently, while going through her late grandma’s, Nan’s, stuff, Jessica had come across an anniversary card mentioning how Nan and Pop had lost their daughter Allie when she was seventeen. Piecing together her mom’s disappearance then and the subsequent mysterious circumstances of her birth, Jessica’s current questions attempt to make sense of some incidents that are increasingly happening to her in and out of school.

Two years prior, a conversation with her grandpa, Pop, had confirmed to Jessica that none of her family members had red hair. The fact that she’d later become a victim of bullying at school over her red hair had only intensified her yearning to know something about her real father. As if that wasn’t enough, her friends talked about drugs and sex all the time; she, thus, wanted to know whether drugs compelled someone to want to have sex, especially considering that she knew a girl in grade nine who slept around with multiple partners.

This book appealed to me because it focused on social problems currently facing the youth, such as misuse of drugs and alcohol, bullying, and sexual risk behaviors that could lead to sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. Furthermore, as a parent, I liked the warm relationship that Allie had nurtured with her daughter, Jessica. This encouraged Jessica to talk openly about problems that she was encountering at school. At the same time, this was also a good opportunity for Allie to use her experience in counseling Jessica on the issues she was facing.

Moreover, I found the book informative in highlighting the mental damage that can result when unsupervised adults brainwash kids under their care. Jessica happened to have a close relationship with her know-it-all Pop, who, sometimes, had no qualms ranting expletives whenever he felt offended. Regardless, Pop had this habit of regularly sharing with Jessica his wild views on religion without considering her parent’s opinion on it.

On the flip side, the book needs some reworking to eliminate multiple incidents of editing errors in it (over ten errors identified). Because of this weakness, I rate it 3 out of 4 stars.

Finally, I recommend this coming-of-age novel to readers who are looking for a shocking and thrilling experience because of the multiplicity of raw human emotion and ambition featured therein. As a further guidance, I think there is more introspection than laughter in this story. At the same time, it’s less suited to individuals with strong views on religion, sex, and profanity.

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The Red Sheep
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[Deval Sodha]

A book that focus on current problems faced by the youth today is a must read.
Your review is thoughtful and descriptive.
Thank you!!

[Marcel Cantu]

I like the topics this book explores. Parenting is so complex and I like that this story explores that. I really enjoyed reading your review!

[Smmwallace]

This book sounds like it deals with the many complex issues that face our young people today, and as a parent of a teenager myself, it's scary. I like the warm relationship aspect the book appears to show between Allie and Jessica. Thank you for your great review!

[Scarbaby]

Thank you for such a detailed and thoughtful review. As a new parent myself, I find it so important to explore the above mentioned topics with my daughter as she enters adolescence.

[Sejall7_]

I really wish I had the chance to read this book when I was in my early teens! We need such novels in today's generation. I feel it's important for the youth to let their parents in. They should be able to express themselves to them. And it appears that the author has portrayed it's significance in the relationship between Allie and Jessica. Thank you for this incredible review !

[smolbird]

I appreciate that the book tackled such difficult yet very real problems and topics. These things can lead us down the wrong path if not properly talked about and explained by a guardian. Thank you for the great review!

[Rayah Raouf]

Thank you for the review. This seems to be an important book. The problems mentioned are very important, and parents need to be aware of them.

[Kenna Ridzi]

This seems like both an emotional and enlightening read. The title drew me in to read your review, and I was not disappointed by your description of the contents of the book in relation to the title. Thank you for your review.

[Precious Naiti]

Problems faced by the youth sometimes seem like they are not being addressed enough and it is books like these that restore hope that someone out there sees what is happening and wants to educate people on it. I feel this book will be very helpful to me as a parent.

[Raluca_Mihaila]

Kids and teenagers can be easily manipulated, so this book tackles some important issues. Great review, I would like to read the book!

[Kavita Shah]

Thank you for the review. Its indeed a current scenario where children will be exposed to all sorts of stuff . To make the kids comfortable in sharing stuff is most important. The Red sheep sounds like a book that steps into the midst of the problems from Allie's view.

[kandscreeley]

This book sounds like it has a lot going on, in a good way. I appreciate all the issues that the book addresses. It's too bad about the errors. Thanks.

[Eutoc]

I hope Jessica got all the answers to her questions. Thanks for reviewing