The Boots My Mother Gave Me
BY: Brooklyn James
Amazon Description:
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk through life in
someone else's shoes?
Strong-willed tomboy Harley LeBeau puts you in the boots her mother gave her, as she takes you along her journey of escape from an abusive childhood and the desire to find herself as she comes of age. Made to feel a burden to her father simply by her gender, Harley is determined to prove her worth and independence, leaving the small town she grew up in and the one boy who gave her a soft place to fall, Jeremiah Johnson. Torn between saving herself and abandoning her mother and younger sister, Harley chooses her own life in hopes they will choose theirs, too.
A mature, candid read for everyone. A must for women. The Boots My Mother Gave Me explores the dynamics of abuse and dysfunction, the courage to overcome, the strength in sisterhood, and the ongoing conflict and unconditional love between mothers and daughters.
Climb into Charlene the Chevelle for a fast-paced story about a girl who is tough enough to survive and tender enough to learn to trust in love.
Strong-willed tomboy Harley LeBeau puts you in the boots her mother gave her, as she takes you along her journey of escape from an abusive childhood and the desire to find herself as she comes of age. Made to feel a burden to her father simply by her gender, Harley is determined to prove her worth and independence, leaving the small town she grew up in and the one boy who gave her a soft place to fall, Jeremiah Johnson. Torn between saving herself and abandoning her mother and younger sister, Harley chooses her own life in hopes they will choose theirs, too.
A mature, candid read for everyone. A must for women. The Boots My Mother Gave Me explores the dynamics of abuse and dysfunction, the courage to overcome, the strength in sisterhood, and the ongoing conflict and unconditional love between mothers and daughters.
Climb into Charlene the Chevelle for a fast-paced story about a girl who is tough enough to survive and tender enough to learn to trust in love.
Book Review:
Were to even begin….
This book was a pretty powerful and emotional read. The book tells the
life story of Harley LaBeau as she struggles to find what her purpose is in
life. AND trust me this girl has some serious struggles. Harley is a singing/
song writing, high school basketball playing, tom boy, loving
daughter/sister/granddaughter and oh yeah LOVER from the small town of Georgia , Pennsylvania .
Harley’s Dream……TO BLOW THIS SMALL TOWN and she eventually does with a guitar
and LITERALLY the boots her mother gave her....... AND OH boy what a journey she has!!
As we follow Harley's story we watch her constant struggle to deal with mental and physical abuse from her father
(Soooo my least favorite character…...this man has some serious demons). What do
you think it would be like to have some one tell you your whole life “You are
Worthless to me” and not just you but your mother/little sister as well
(Heart TUG moment)? As the situation at
home got worse Harley manages to get kicked out of the house before graduating
high school. Thank goodness she had loving friends who were there for her in
this time of need. She packs her things and moves into a tiny apartment above
the garage she works at (OH ya I forgot to add Mechanic to her résumé lol).
The supporting characters in this book were interesting and I loved them
each for what life’s lessons/experiences they brought to the table. Mich is the child hood
best friend that has been in love with Harley forever. As much as he wants her
to feel the same way for him he knows she is better then this small town and doesn't want to hold her back (This man seriously has the PATIENCE of a SAINT). His only hope is one day she realizes, SHE WAS MADE FOR HIM! Oh ya did
I mention he was a HOT MARINE lol! KIT KAT, is the younger sister
with dreams of being a fashion designer. Through this book we see her deal with
situations of teenage pregnancy and a very abusive relationship. Next is Harley's MOM, seeing how her life unfolded in this book was the most heart breaking. In
the beginning we see a weak and fragile woman, BUT in the end you see a Woman
of STRENGTH/COURAGE (FIST PUMPS in the air)! Next is Benny her boss, his
kindness to her was that of what a fathers should be to a daughter. He gave her
shelter when she most needed it and oh yeah a AWESOME CAR to follow her dream of
blowing this small town. Finally, we have Harley’s grandmother. This woman on
her death bed gave Harley a lesson in love that brought pieces of her life into
perspective (Nope not giving anything away)!
While I really like this book I would have LOVED to see Harley and Mich ’s story play out a
little more (Yup that’s me the hopeless romantic). Due to the situations Harley
has had to endure growing up, she built a huge wall around herself to protect
her emotions and what little of herself she could salvage. Through out this
story we see Harley's wall begin to be torn down brick by brick but in the end
we see the pieces of what makes Harley, well HARLEY are finally being put
together!
While researching this book I found out this was a semi-autobiographical book of the life of Brooklyn
James herself. This did nothing more than cause me to like this book even more.
Below I am attaching a link to an audio interview Mrs. James gave discussing her life and her book. GIVE IT
A LISTEN!
SHOUT OUT TO KAZI BOOK REVIEW!
GOOD JOB MRS. JAMES!!
CHEERS,
Dr. Books
BOOK RATING: A/4.5 Stars