Official Review: Cry Baby Cry or Not by DeWandus Johnson
Posted: 25 Mar 2019, 11:15
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Cry Baby Cry or Not" by DeWandus Johnson.]
1 out of 4 stars
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DeWandus Johnson’s Cry Baby Cry…or Not tells the story of a girl named Trina, who has led an eventful life by the tender age of fifteen. Physically abused by her mother and sexually groomed by her mother’s boyfriend since she was a child, Trina has developed a perverted understanding of love and the world around her. Moreover, this is only the tip of the iceberg. The reader then follows Trina as she tries to escape from her abusive circumstances by entering into a relationship with Mistro, the heir of one of Chicago’s underground crime syndicates.
Frankly, I was excited to learn more about Chicago from the book, but I have to be upfront and state that I found the book disappointing. Before explaining my reasons for thinking as such, I will first give DeWandus Johnson’s Cry Baby Cry…or Not a rating of 1 out of 4 stars. There are many problematic issues present in this story, which I found lamentable.
Firstly, readers please be warned: there are numerous explicit descriptions of and references to highly sensitive issues in this novel, such as child pornography, prostitution, rape, torture, drug use, assault, and gun violence. Whilst I usually do not shy away from such books, said issues seem to be included only for the shock factor, even if Johnson has stated that his desire is to “provide unfiltered mental visuals and testimonies about the untold truths of the ghettos of America”. Whilst I can understand this desire, Cry Baby Cry…or Not is unfortunately a story that does not provoke much thought. In other words, Johnson has sadly spent neither time nor effort to explore these sensitive topics in his book in order to raise worthy questions for discussion.
Next, I have a huge bone to pick with Johnson about the way women are portrayed in his book. All the women (save for a very minor character who is mentioned twice and only in passing), no matter their age or race, are objectified and sexualised. This is further exacerbated by the fact that Johnson then implicitly blames the women for their own sorry plight after being used by men. Since the women are mere objects in the story, I found it hard to relate to them. Hence, I also became unable to immerse myself deeply in the story.
In addition, with regard to structural technicalities and editing, Cry Baby Cry…or Not is not without its problems. Johnson tends to drift from the main narrative to engage in various subplots, which makes the story unfocused, resulting in the reader’s break in immersion. There are also numerous grammar and punctuation blunders, such as tense errors and misuse of punctuation, that are peppered liberally throughout the book. All of these unfortunately and significantly contribute to the novel’s lack of flow and clarity.
To conclude, Johnson is in serious need of an editor to help with fixing the technical errors and the unfocused plot. Still, the issue of paramount importance at this point in time is the highly suspect portrayal of women in the book – instead of recommending potential readers to this book, I urge Johnson to first take a short course in gender and sexuality studies.
Subsequently, I would then recommend an extensively edited and reworked version of Cry Baby Cry…or Not to those interested in learning more about the lives of people who are a part of Chicago's underground crime scene. It will also be best if these potential readers are not put off by tricky issues such as rape and child pornography.
******
Cry Baby Cry or Not
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1 out of 4 stars
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DeWandus Johnson’s Cry Baby Cry…or Not tells the story of a girl named Trina, who has led an eventful life by the tender age of fifteen. Physically abused by her mother and sexually groomed by her mother’s boyfriend since she was a child, Trina has developed a perverted understanding of love and the world around her. Moreover, this is only the tip of the iceberg. The reader then follows Trina as she tries to escape from her abusive circumstances by entering into a relationship with Mistro, the heir of one of Chicago’s underground crime syndicates.
Frankly, I was excited to learn more about Chicago from the book, but I have to be upfront and state that I found the book disappointing. Before explaining my reasons for thinking as such, I will first give DeWandus Johnson’s Cry Baby Cry…or Not a rating of 1 out of 4 stars. There are many problematic issues present in this story, which I found lamentable.
Firstly, readers please be warned: there are numerous explicit descriptions of and references to highly sensitive issues in this novel, such as child pornography, prostitution, rape, torture, drug use, assault, and gun violence. Whilst I usually do not shy away from such books, said issues seem to be included only for the shock factor, even if Johnson has stated that his desire is to “provide unfiltered mental visuals and testimonies about the untold truths of the ghettos of America”. Whilst I can understand this desire, Cry Baby Cry…or Not is unfortunately a story that does not provoke much thought. In other words, Johnson has sadly spent neither time nor effort to explore these sensitive topics in his book in order to raise worthy questions for discussion.
Next, I have a huge bone to pick with Johnson about the way women are portrayed in his book. All the women (save for a very minor character who is mentioned twice and only in passing), no matter their age or race, are objectified and sexualised. This is further exacerbated by the fact that Johnson then implicitly blames the women for their own sorry plight after being used by men. Since the women are mere objects in the story, I found it hard to relate to them. Hence, I also became unable to immerse myself deeply in the story.
In addition, with regard to structural technicalities and editing, Cry Baby Cry…or Not is not without its problems. Johnson tends to drift from the main narrative to engage in various subplots, which makes the story unfocused, resulting in the reader’s break in immersion. There are also numerous grammar and punctuation blunders, such as tense errors and misuse of punctuation, that are peppered liberally throughout the book. All of these unfortunately and significantly contribute to the novel’s lack of flow and clarity.
To conclude, Johnson is in serious need of an editor to help with fixing the technical errors and the unfocused plot. Still, the issue of paramount importance at this point in time is the highly suspect portrayal of women in the book – instead of recommending potential readers to this book, I urge Johnson to first take a short course in gender and sexuality studies.
Subsequently, I would then recommend an extensively edited and reworked version of Cry Baby Cry…or Not to those interested in learning more about the lives of people who are a part of Chicago's underground crime scene. It will also be best if these potential readers are not put off by tricky issues such as rape and child pornography.
******
Cry Baby Cry or Not
View: on Bookshelves
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