Another Day in Paradise

Rating:
Summary: A teen's initiation into the world of crime...
Review: ...hooking up with an experienced burglar and his girlfriend (both of whom have significant substance-abuse problems), Bobbie endures a roller-coaster ride of joy and pain, with each peak more pronounced than the next. One gets the sense that this is an autobiographical glimpse at the life of Eddie Little. Regardless, it is a brilliantly executed time capsule which snapshots a troubled youth's charged foray into adulthood.

Tremendous work... highest recommendation.

Rating:
Summary: A Riotous Fourteen-Year-Old Dope-Fiend Robin Hood?
Review: Did you ever read about some crime in the local paper and wonder what sort of creep would do such a thing? ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE goes a long way towards answering that question. During an interview on National Public Radio the author, Eddie Little, implied that his story is autobiographical. If this is so he had a life you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. Thankfully Mr. Little avoids self-pity and the result is an amazingly good story. I think you should read ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE. In fact I urge you to do so, if for no other rea- son than to learn what kind of jerks you may be rubbing shoulders with the next time you're in a crowd. It's scary! Note: I'd have rated it higher but I can't seem to shake this prejudice I have against criminals. GOOD JOB!

Rating:
Summary: Another Day in Paradise - I couldn't put it down.
Review: For me, the setting of Another Day in Paradise, the life on the fringe, the dope, and the violence, though important to anchor and carry the novel, were simply a vehicle for the raw, unfiltered emotions and actions of people who continue to live only because they have nothing to lose. The characters had been stripped down by what they lost, or never gained, to the point of utterly basic humanity. A bit more peeled from their personas would have left them human but lacking the subtle difference that distinguished them from completely mindless killers. The novel makes a good case, not excuses, for the decisions of these survivors of unimaginable, emotion-killing pain to live not as innocent, but nonetheless honest, animals. After all, animals aren't mean, they do what is necessary to survive. No more, no less. In a world where the stakes for minor failure are life and death, it follows that the characters would be fools if they were not severe enough to have a reasonable chance at success. Not pretty, not desireable, but theirs is a brutality executed with nearly flawless logic. The novel had one of the best, plain-spoken explanations of the stupidity of racism I have ever read. The imagery of the novel was biting and realistic. If you liked this book, read You Just Can't Win by Jack Black.

Rating:
Summary: Riveting Fiction
Review: I bought this book on a whim, mainly due to the reviews here. And frankly I was overwhelmed. Entertaining, riveting, this has to be at least a semi-biographical experience for the author.

Not to repeat any of the things formentioned in the prior reviews, but this is a harrowing tale of addiction and callousness mixed with intrigue.

There are some very interesting supporting characters (Rev. Jimbo, Ben, Chief White-Cloud) I'd like to see the author spin off into tales about the others also. A great read. I definitely recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: A trip into pure fantasy
Review: The readers' reviews of this sorry book astound me. This is a preposterous story. Imagine a fourteen year old being an important cog in a gang of coast to coast thieves,drinking doubles of whisky in smart hotels while constantly "slammim" heroin and popping every pill imaginable This is simply another instance of exploiting drug use as a basis for a silly novel. Anyone who goes for this useless drivel has very little experience of the drug scene. It's neither romantic or glamorous nor peopled by clever subversive people.Iknow whereof I speak,having paid my dues (a total of five years' jailtime) And while I have known a number of junkies' I can't recall any who fit these characters, exotic losers.

Rating:
Summary: Not every person's typical day in paradise
Review: There are certain books you can pass along to friends and loved ones with high marks, and, then, there are books you give very high marks to, but choose not to pass them along.

Your aunt Maude would probably not understand this fantastic novel at all. Your mother would wonder why the hell you loved it so much. You would feel frustrated to defend your preferences, and, so, it may be easier to keep it in your bookcase and only offer it, if at all, to persons evaluated to be of the nature to appreciate a literary genius.

This is potent material. As a nurse working in emergency medicine and in forensics, I search for an understanding of such pathology. Aside from a gripping novel, I can not escape the impact of such revelations by the author. He opened more than his soul to expose this kind of wound on paper.

If you want to understand addiction, read this novel.
If you want to know what to expect when you are completely addicted to your drug of choice, go to page 226, paragraph 11. There, in full blown absolute reality, is the truth. Only someone intimate with the issue could tell it straight. Eddie spent some very difficult nights and days in order to elucidate the hell he went through. The gift for all users is to be good enough to translate the truth into words that the most unyielding addict will pay attention to.
In an extraordinary novel, Eddie has done just that.

Rating:
Summary: Not every person's typical day in paradise
Review: There are certain books you can pass along to friends and loved ones with high marks, and, then, there are books you give very high marks to, but choose not to pass them along.

Your aunt Maude would probably not understand this fantastic novel at all. Your mother would wonder why the hell you loved it so much. You would feel frustrated to defend your preferences, and, so, it may be easier to keep it in your bookcase and only offer it, if at all, to persons evaluated to be of the nature to appreciate a literary genius.

This is potent material. As a nurse working in emergency medicine and in forensics, I search for an understanding of such pathology. Aside from a gripping novel, I can not escape the impact of such revelations by the author. He opened more than his soul to expose this kind of wound on paper.

If you want to understand addiction, read this novel.
If you want to know what to expect when you are completely addicted to your drug of choice, go to page 226, paragraph 11. There, in full blown absolute reality, is the truth. Only someone intimate with the issue could tell it straight. Eddie spent some very difficult nights and days in order to elucidate the hell he went through. The gift for all users is to be good enough to translate the truth into words that the most unyielding addict will pay attention to.
In an extraordinary novel, Eddie has done just that.

Rating:
Summary: On Paradise . . .
Review: This book was the most surprising combination of fast-paced, gritty, and touching that I have ever read. The characters all shine in their own slightly disturbed way. By the novel's end, Bobbie has fulfilled his desire of being a tough guy--by surving and still retaining some evidence of a heart.