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My book of life by angel
246 pages
A raw, urgent verse novel that plunges into the dark realities of exploitation and the desperate fight for survival.
What it feels like
Reading this novel in verse is a visceral, propulsive experience that plunges you directly into the gritty, harrowing reality of street life and exploitation. The sparse, rhythmic prose mirrors the fragmented, urgent mindset of a young girl caught in the suffocating grip of addiction and manipulation. It feels claustrophobic and desperate, yet deeply empathetic, never looking away from the harsh truths of missing girls and systemic apathy. Despite the heavy, dread-soaked atmosphere, a fierce undercurrent of protective resolve drives the narrative forward. It is a raw, unflinching read designed for those who appreciate hard-hitting, issue-driven young adult fiction that balances profound darkness with the desperate, beating heart of survival and sisterhood.
- Mood
- harrowing
- desperate
- gritty
- claustrophobic
- Tone
- raw
- urgent
- unflinching
- empathetic
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- loss of innocence · cycle of addiction · exploitation and survival · protective sisterhood
- The writing
- Told in verse, the language is sparse, rhythmic, and emotionally direct, mirroring the fragmented reality of trauma.
- The arc
- The journey moves from a vulnerable, drug-induced entrapment into a desperate, clear-eyed resolve to break free and protect the innocent.
- Who it's for
- Readers who gravitate toward hard-hitting, issue-driven young adult fiction that tackles dark realities with empathy and poetic immediacy.
Content notes
- drug abuse
- sexual abuse
- prostitution
- human trafficking
- runaway children
About the book
"When sixteen-year-old Angel meets Call at the mall, he buys her meals and says he loves her, and he gives her some candy that makes her feel like she can fly. Pretty soon she's addicted to his candy, and she moves in with him. As a favor, he asks her to hook up with a couple of friends of his, and then a couple more. Now Angel is stuck working the streets at Hastings and Main, a notorious spot in Vancouver, Canada, where the girls turn tricks until they disappear without a trace, and the authorities don't care. But after her friend Serena disappears, and when Call brings home a girl who is even younger and more vulnerable than her to learn the trade, Angel knows that she and the new girl have got to find a way out"--
Description from Open Library.
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