Runaway: Diary of a Street Kid

Rating:
Summary: Little girl lost speaks out (very eloquently)
Review: "Runaway: Diary of a Street Kid" by Evelyn Lau deals with a subject often treated by the media, by social science articles and any number of mags from charitable organisations. This book, however, is a painfully accurate day-by-day tale of the author's personal ordeal while searching for love in places where love is a dirty condom. Obligatory reading for anyone who deals with this problem professionally or otherwise - or anyone who wants to read about the details of the night! - My only doubt is this: How much has the text been worked over by editors before publication? Is this really the unchanged diary entries of a girl of 14-15-16? (Anders Blichfeldt, Denmark

Rating:
Summary: Uninspired, drab, and lusterless...
Review: ...is how I'd describe "Runaway." A collection of diary/journal entries, the book highlights and ups and downs (a lot of downs and very few ups) of the author's life as a street kid. Oh, and it's also supposed to pass off as a "...compelling and unsettling journey into the mind of a teenage girl." (as written by the Globe and Mail.) Hardly. This drivel is essentially 300 odd pages of self pity, regrets, and whines. The suffering experienced by the author was self inflicted and that warrants no pity whatsoever. The book absolutely terrible. Go borrow it from your local library and refrain from purchasing it. Even then I would advise against picking the thing up.

If you want to read about true human suffering, misery, and hardship, do yourself a favour a pick up "The Diary of Anne Frank." The horrors that Anne had to live through makes Evelyn Lau's little stint on the streets look like a walk in the park by comparison.

Rating:
Summary: A Moving Runaway Story From An Exceptional Person
Review: I felt, very, very moved by Runaway. It is a typical runaway story, but what is not typical was that the author is gifted with a great intelligence and writing ability. Evelyn wanted to be a writer from age six, and she started getting published at age twelve. Her very neurotic mother was murdering her emotionally, so at age fourteen, she ran away from home. She went into the expected downward spiral into prostitution and drugs addiction. But Evelyn kept a journal through the two years she was on the street, and the process of journaling was a major factor in her survival.

As a minor she was under the care of government social services, which included outpatient psychiatric care. In her journal, besides all the explicit details of drugs, prostitution, and life on the street, she works through the whole therapeautic process. As drama it is very compelling. As we observe her trying to change her situation, one starts to view her as a hero rather than a victim. It becomes like a movie where we are in anxious suspense to see how the hero gets out of each predicament. We cheer her successes and wince in frustration and disappointment every time she returns to drugs or turning tricks. Her psychiatrists were magnificent. Someone studying to be a therapist could use this book as a case study in runaways, drugs, child prostitution and how a patient responds to therapy. I particularly liked her inner dialogues. She will surface one set of emotions, then surface other conflicting emotions and wrestle them to the ground. Once she gets something resolved, it???s on to the next set of emotions. She works all this out in her therapy session and in her journal.

I must say that as the father of two children I have had a more poignant reaction to this book. Throughout her book, I kept feeling a profound, ???My God, she???s only a child!??? The book is a very moral book in that it shows the enormous damage that occurs to child prostitutes, not to mention drug addicts and runaways.

Since the book was published, Evelyn Lau has been pideon-holed somewhat as a Chinese-Candian or Women???s issues writer. These kinds of politically correct labels have little added value. I find them limiting not liberating. Her material to be about being a human being and a victim.

Rating:
Summary: A Moving Runaway Story From An Exceptional Person
Review: I felt, very, very moved by Runaway. It is a typical runaway story, but what is not typical was that the author is gifted with a great intelligence and writing ability. Evelyn wanted to be a writer from age six, and she started getting published at age twelve. Her very neurotic mother was murdering her emotionally, so at age fourteen, she ran away from home. She went into the expected downward spiral into prostitution and drugs addiction. But Evelyn kept a journal through the two years she was on the street, and the process of journaling was a major factor in her survival.

As a minor she was under the care of government social services, which included outpatient psychiatric care. In her journal, besides all the explicit details of drugs, prostitution, and life on the street, she works through the whole therapeautic process. As drama it is very compelling. As we observe her trying to change her situation, one starts to view her as a hero rather than a victim. It becomes like a movie where we are in anxious suspense to see how the hero gets out of each predicament. We cheer her successes and wince in frustration and disappointment every time she returns to drugs or turning tricks. Her psychiatrists were magnificent. Someone studying to be a therapist could use this book as a case study in runaways, drugs, child prostitution and how a patient responds to therapy. I particularly liked her inner dialogues. She will surface one set of emotions, then surface other conflicting emotions and wrestle them to the ground. Once she gets something resolved, it's on to the next set of emotions. She works all this out in her therapy session and in her journal.

I must say that as the father of two children I have had a more poignant reaction to this book. Throughout her book, I kept feeling a profound, "My God, she's only a child!" The book is a very moral book in that it shows the enormous damage that occurs to child prostitutes, not to mention drug addicts and runaways.

Since the book was published, Evelyn Lau has been pideon-holed somewhat as a Chinese-Candian or Women's issues writer. These kinds of politically correct labels have little added value. I find them limiting not liberating. Her material to be about being a human being and a victim.

Rating:
Summary: Give her a break!
Review: It's several years now since Evelyn Lau wrote this book and she's gone on to write more great stuff! Having just heard and seen her speak at a Writers Festival in Australia, I can assure the doubters that she would indeed have written every word of Runaway. She remains passionately addicted to her writing and this passion has continued to affect her life. Have a look at "Inside Out : Reflections on a Life So Far ".

Rating:
Summary: Give her a break!
Review: It's several years now since Evelyn Lau wrote this book and she's gone on to write more great stuff! Having just heard and seen her speak at a Writers Festival in Australia, I can assure the doubters that she would indeed have written every word of Runaway. She remains passionately addicted to her writing and this passion has continued to affect her life. Have a look at "Inside Out : Reflections on a Life So Far ".

Rating:
Summary: yawn...snooze
Review: Ok I tried 3 times to read this book but ended up totally bored with it(this is rare). I work with many kids on the street, their stories are more intersting for book form. I admit Lau is a good writer.....but it really lacked something..... maybe the pull to stop me from yawning!

Rating:
Summary: The New Ann Frank
Review: Once you start this book, Evelyn becomes you. I had to just keep reading and reading...to finish it, desperate for a happy ending. It is the TRUE diary of a young girl - dabbling in prositution, drugs, therapy and homelessness. This book offers great insight in to the mind of a adolesent, and reminds one of a not so distant past of battling the same demons. Evelyn's world view is set to critique all that crosses her path...including our correctional services, family services, and basic social acceptability. Pretty smart for a 15 year old. Many wonderful thoughts, feelings and ideas can be gained from reading this book. I would recommend this book as required reading for youths who typically DON'T read. Its a great starting point and is sure to capture their attention. But nonetheless...a great story that in the end, any reader feels privilaged to have been on the journey.

Rating:
Summary: Yawn
Review: There are so many kids that have a real and substantial reason to run away and live on the street - to avoid further abuse, etc. Maybe I missed something but it didn't seem that Evelyn had a bad family life. She ran away because her parents wanted her to get good grades. I could not feel sympathetic towards her. She just seemed like an immature teenager who thought she knew everything and wanted to spend her days taking drugs. Her subsequent books (such as Other Woman) when she's more mature emotionally and in her writing, are much much better.