I love this! I am not alone in being a huge fan of the humor, and the very original way it is conveyed. The details are perfect, and well-written. And the overall flow and tempo works extremely well. I am looking forward to reading much more!
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Like everyone else who has commented, I too am amazed at the life you’ve lived. You have a wealth of stories to tell, and while there is tragedy, the drive to live on, to search for meaning, comes through.

“He Loves Me…” grabs the reader from the get-go. The story of Mama literally holding you and your brother inside her until she was allowed to go to the hospital is horrifying, but sets the mood for what’s to come.

The second book also contains the same terrifying tales, and bits and pieces of the life you’ve lived, but the way its written seems more like stream-of-consciousness writing. I can imagine this is the basis for the first memoir, which is more fleshed out, with more dialogue and detail.

What I will say is that both works could really benefit from a bit more work on the storyline -- not necessarily the big picture, but the smaller parts that create the whole. For example, in the beginning of “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not,” you detail the story of Byron Jr. getting lost off the clothesline. Then, with no warning, Mary is off to school. If there was an obvious break, i.e. jumping to a new chapter, or more text to create a bridge from one tale to another, it would work better. As it stands, in many areas the jumps can be jarring.

Overall, “He Loves Me…” weaves a complex, painful yet very compelling tale of your life. The more detail you provide, and the further you expand upon the stories, the better an already strong tale it will be. view book

I found this a very interesting read. The subject matter, especially in relation to race and prejudice, has the potential to be volatile, but you have handled it well and written an engaging story. There are so many small details that, while not critical to the overall arc, provide a great deal of interest and depth to the piece. So many people forget the details, but you’ve covered both the big and small, and there are so many details and interesting snippets of information, I couldn’t put the laptop down!

The story flows well, but at times the tense isn’t the same, even within the same sentence, which does make it confusing. However, it’s not a huge issue, and something an editor would be able to fix before publication. Overall, a very good piece, and really fascinating!. view book