Review of A Bloody Book

[Ntombifuthi Londi]

[Following is a volunteer review of "A Bloody Book" by Chris Bowen.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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It all started when Mr. Foxx gave his grade eight students an assignment asking when they stopped caring about school. As a thirteen-year-old boy, Maxx realized that answering the assignment honestly would result in him getting into trouble and getting his parents into trouble. He decided to protect his family and submitted a shabby assignment. To his surprise, his script came back with good marks and words of wisdom from Mr. Foxx. The question remained in his head for years, and he has decided to put pen to paper, let it all out, and bleed all over the pages.

Maxx grew up in a dysfunctional home. From an early age, he was exposed to alcohol and drug abuse. His parents were always intoxicated and neglected both him and his younger sister. The neglect led to Maxx having to step up and be a parent to his younger sister. In the book A Bloody Book by Chris Bowen, Maxx has finally mustered the courage to write his truth.

This book was an emotionally taxing read as I have also come across children who have been tortured and traumatized by drug-abusing parents. The psychological impact of abuse on children has horrific and damaging long-term effects. Abuse is complex and sensitive; however, the author approaches it delicately. I liked several aspects of this book. The characters are well developed, and the book is insightful and educational.

This book might trigger sensitive readers as it is raw, genuine, and involves minor children and abuse. The book contains minor profanity, which is to be expected, considering the themes covered in the book.

There was nothing I disliked about the book. Drug abuse is a serious concern, and it affects several households around the world. Books like this paint a vivid picture of what life is like in a drug-ridden household. The author did an exceptional job in executing this storyline.

I only came across a couple of typos and grammatical errors, but these did not negatively affect my overall reading experience.

The book is insightful and educational. It creates awareness of the living conditions of children coming from lower-income families. I, therefore, rate it four out of four stars.

This book is ideal for people who wish to learn more about child-headed households and those who want to be enlightened about the effects and disadvantages of poverty. Teachers, social workers, school psychologists can also benefit from this book.

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A Bloody Book
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[Nqobile Mashinini Tshabalala]

Drug abuse is a pandemic on its own. It becomes extremely sad when it affects kids. Awesome review!

[markodim721]

I like that the book talks about alcohol and drug abuse as well as topics like traumatized children from dysfunctional families because it is the only way to develop awareness of these problems.

[Ruchi Raina]

It was unfortunate that Maxx suffered due to his parents. He had to take care of his little sister due to neglect from his parents, who were too lost in drugs and alcohol. It's awful that he had to go through all that. Thanks for the great review.

[Prisallen]

It is so sad when children have to face these problems and can't have a normal childhood, with parents who love and care for them. It breaks my heart. Thanks for an excellent review!

[Astral Magi]

Real issues that are prevalent in any society may be of great value to children who have similar problems. Thank you for the review.

[Priya_Singh]

Whenever I read books about children abuse, it makes me think and ask those people why give birth to a child when you can't be responsible for them. This is really very bad and people like this needs to be confronted. Thank you for the amazing review!

[Kirsi Cultrera]

This topic always makes me so angry. Our job is to protect our kids but parents with drug (or alcohol) problems are unable to do that. Children don’t deserve surroundings like that. Maybe this book opens someone’s eyes to this enormous problem.

Thanks for a thorough review!

[Obioma CM]

Such an educating book. I'm really impressed.