The Things I Could Tell You!

Rating:
Summary: Starting over?
Review: "The things I could tell you!" is different in one
very interesting way: its author is still in high
school! I have to admit that I was astounded to
discover that this novel was written by a teenager.
Kudos to J.L. Woodson for accomplishing a dream so
early in life!

As for the novel, it is well written. The main
character is Cameron, a sixteen-year-old high school
student. Cameron is bright, beautiful and dedicated
to having a better life. He is a doting big brother
to his little sister and a considerate son to his
single mother. His mother is a strong woman that
married Ramon, Cameron's father, for love against her
parents' wishes when she was teenager. However,
following her heart came back to haunt her when Ramon
began to physically abuse her. Anna eventually gets
the strength to leave Ramon and start over.

Cameron, Anna, and Andrea, his younger sister, move to
Tennessee and begin a new life. Cameron meets the
love of his life on his first day at school, begins a
friendship with Justin, and learns to live without the
shadow of his father looming in the background.

Unknown to Cameron, Andrea has written to their father
and he has the address. When his mother realizes that
Ramon had an earlier parole we know that things are
bound to get sticky! What happens when Cameron wakes
to find Ramon in his room with a gun? Will Andrea,
in her child-like devotion to her father, cause them
all to lose their lives? Will they all finally be free
from Ramon?

As a mother of a teenaged son, I found Cameron almost
too good to be true. However, Cameron is still
believable as our protagonist. The story is
simplistic and innocent in one way but attacks the
topic of domestic violence and its effects in a very
real way. If you enjoy a good story that wholesome
and entertaining, then I think you'll like "The things
I could tell you!"

Leanna
R.E.A.L. Reviewers

Rating:
Summary: Starting over?
Review: "The things I could tell you!" is different in one
very interesting way: its author is still in high
school! I have to admit that I was astounded to
discover that this novel was written by a teenager.
Kudos to J.L. Woodson for accomplishing a dream so
early in life!

As for the novel, it is well written. The main
character is Cameron, a sixteen-year-old high school
student. Cameron is bright, beautiful and dedicated
to having a better life. He is a doting big brother
to his little sister and a considerate son to his
single mother. His mother is a strong woman that
married Ramon, Cameron's father, for love against her
parents' wishes when she was teenager. However,
following her heart came back to haunt her when Ramon
began to physically abuse her. Anna eventually gets
the strength to leave Ramon and start over.

Cameron, Anna, and Andrea, his younger sister, move to
Tennessee and begin a new life. Cameron meets the
love of his life on his first day at school, begins a
friendship with Justin, and learns to live without the
shadow of his father looming in the background.

Unknown to Cameron, Andrea has written to their father
and he has the address. When his mother realizes that
Ramon had an earlier parole we know that things are
bound to get sticky! What happens when Cameron wakes
to find Ramon in his room with a gun? Will Andrea,
in her child-like devotion to her father, cause them
all to lose their lives? Will they all finally be free
from Ramon?

As a mother of a teenaged son, I found Cameron almost
too good to be true. However, Cameron is still
believable as our protagonist. The story is
simplistic and innocent in one way but attacks the
topic of domestic violence and its effects in a very
real way. If you enjoy a good story that wholesome
and entertaining, then I think you'll like "The things
I could tell you!"

Leanna
R.E.A.L. Reviewers

Rating:
Summary: THIS SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD WRITES BETTER THAN SOME ADULTS!!
Review: I have to admit when I learned of the author's age, I didn't think this book could hold an adult's interest. Well, it did that and then some. The boy is BAD!! J. L. Woodson told the story from a teenager's point of view on a domestic violence situation in such a way that most adult authors I've read haven't been able to do. The story is carefully created, humorous at the right times, but you'll feel the impact on the children in the household of the mother's decision to stay with an abusive husband for so long. Then your heart races as they flee Chicago and hide after a threat on their lives. Just as they come to terms with things and rebuild their lives, wouldn't you know it--the father resurfaces. But the family is stronger and should be able to deal with the threat, even if it's in a deadly way. This young man is brilliant. I'm proud of him and every single mother in America would do well to read the insights from this teenager's writing.

Seventeen isn't just a number, it's the beginning of a powerful career for this young man. And for the record, I'd like to say move over Michael Baisden, Eric Jerome Dickey and Omar Tyree. There's a new kid on the block and his stories have a great deal more SUBSTANCE and doesn't have to shed a negative light on women to do so.

Rating:
Summary: Growing up young.
Review: J. L. Woodson's English class project to write a short horror story, grew into a published book, THE THINGS I COULD TELL YOU. While his classmates wrote about 'Elm Street', his horror story was about the fear of living in a home with a physically abusive father, and how the family adjusted once the drama stopped. After witnessing too many fights and an near fatal shooting between his parents, Cameron and his sister are ecstatic when their mother leaves Chicago. She sheds the traditional family life, to create a better environment for the
three of them; And the move does wonders for the family's sanity.

Cameron, a very sensitive teenage boy, is serious as he shoulders his new responsibilities. He loves being the peacemaker between his mom and his sister, and he handles being a big brother with the right touch of warmth, compassion and teenage realness as he helps his sister adapt. Everyone is finally settling into the slower pace of the south and their life is good. It's been three years since their mom changed the family name and moved to Tennessee to escape their past; but somehow the past is back. Now Cameron is forced to make a deadly choice that could change his life.

Writing with finesse beyond his years, Woodson blends humor, reality and survival. He creates an inspiring story told with the innocent candor that can only exists when belief in humanity is still fresh. Teens will relate to the story because it is told by one of their peers. But this is a heads up read for adults as well; they are able to better understand what plays out in the minds of kids who have seen too much too soon. Woodson published this story when he was sixteen years old so I anxiously anticipate his growth as a writer.

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Rating:
Summary: Think about your actions-they effect others.
Review: The Things I Could Tell You is a moving expose' of the dramatic effects of domestic violence on its silent witnesses, the children. This is the story of sixteen year-old Cameron and his younger sister Andrea. They too feel the affects of abuse as they witness their father Ramon both verbally and physically assault their mother Anna. Cameron tells the story from his point of view.

Cameron was too young to protect his mother from the rages of his father. By the time his mother gained the mental and physical strength to move away from his father it was almost too late. Ramon tried to kill his mother and Cameron witnessed this brutality. They moved to Memphis and assumed a new identity hoping to erase the past and begin life again. Andrea, at the time too young to fully understand, desperately wished for her father and contacted him, against her mothers' request, while he was still in prison. The plot progresses and the effects of such violence are played out through each of the central characters.

I was most impressed with this book. The author JL Woodson, a teenager, has amazing talent. I cannot stress how much I think this book is wonderfully written and then to see such work at the pen of a teenager means that he can only go higher from this point. As a teenage author, I was inclined to believe this was a true personal account but was assured that the author did not personally experience such horrors. However, his intimate knowledge of domestic violence and vivid realism shines through in this novel. It is my hope that no one has to experience what any of these characters faced, but it is my prayer that if you do, you remain strong and of good courage and become proactive in combating these acts. The Things I Could Tell You is a book I want to share with my teenage book club as well as the accompanying adult book club at my church. There are lessons to be learned from both a child and adult perspective and this is just the type of book to encourage open dialogue.


Rating:
Summary: A Captivating Read
Review: This debut novel is a definite page turner from beginning to end. It tells the story of Cameron Spears and his account of domestic abuse amongst his parents, and how he grows to hate his father because of it. His character displays a strong voice that draws the reader's into his life story. He is also a teenager going through adolescence and facing teen relationship issues, yet trying to remain focused in his education studies while trying to "not be like his father". I would recommend all teens to read as it displays positive insight on issues such as premarital sex, peer pressure, respect for your parents, and many other juvenile related issues. But I strongly encourage parents/adults to read this book because it shows what we as women tolerate some things sometimes for too long and how our children can pick up the negative behavior they become subjected to. I believe J.L. Woodson speaks very clearly in this novel, and he is truly an excellent writer.

Rating:
Summary: Teenage writer wise beyond his years
Review: This is J. L. Woodson's debut novel. He is a teenage writer wise beyond his years. He is an excellent writer. The book is very captivating. Once I picked it up, I could not put it down. I began reading it on Thursday and finished on Sunday. The book is about a young man, his sister and mother who lived in an abusive home. Their father was physically and mentally abusive to him and his mother. His younger sister was daddy's little angel and the apple of his eye. She could see no wrong in her father. The father was Mexican and the mother was African American. The children were of mixed heritage.

After years of abuse, the mother shot the husband in self defense. The husband was sent to jail, and the mother and children moved to Memphis and changed their identity. Since I live in Memphis, I like to read books that have a Memphis connection. Some of the references to Memphis were accurate, and other's were fictional. The transition of moving from Chicago to Memphis was somewhat of an adjustment for the family, but after a while they began to like the city.

This is a great book, especially for a first time writer. I can't wait to read J.L. Woodson's next book.

Review given by Collean Payne-(correspondent sec.)The Sophisticated Souls of Learning Book Club

Rating:
Summary: Teenage writer wise beyond his years
Review: This is J. L. Woodson's debut novel. He is a teenage writer wise beyond his years. He is an excellent writer. The book is very captivating. Once I picked it up, I could not put it down. I began reading it on Thursday and finished on Sunday. The book is about a young man, his sister and mother who lived in an abusive home. Their father was physically and mentally abusive to him and his mother. His younger sister was daddy's little angel and the apple of his eye. She could see no wrong in her father. The father was Mexican and the mother was African American. The children were of mixed heritage.

After years of abuse, the mother shot the husband in self defense. The husband was sent to jail, and the mother and children moved to Memphis and changed their identity. Since I live in Memphis, I like to read books that have a Memphis connection. Some of the references to Memphis were accurate, and other's were fictional. The transition of moving from Chicago to Memphis was somewhat of an adjustment for the family, but after a while they began to like the city.

This is a great book, especially for a first time writer. I can't wait to read J.L. Woodson's next book.

Review given by Collean Payne-(correspondent sec.)The Sophisticated Souls of Learning Book Club

Rating:
Summary: Mahogany Book Club Best Youth Fiction Award
Review: We recieved this book to review and had a hard time keeping it in our club.
When our youth reviewer took it to her Grandmothers, her Grandmother took it to read, when she got it back she took it to school where her English teacher wanted to review it for the class. All in all this is an oustanding novel by a new young writer. A story great for teachers to use in class, a story all teenagers and adults should read.And it all started as an English assignment!

Rating:
Summary: What Would You Do?
Review: What would you do if a loved one became your worst enemy? At what lengths would you go to protect those around you? Through the voice of thirteen-year old Cameron Spears, readers experience domestic violence and its lasting imprints no teenager should have to endure. Through embodied characters and superb storytelling, one can easily misinterpret J.L. Woodson's, THE THINGS I COULD TELL YOU, as his personal recollection.

Chicago held nothing but bad memories for Cameron Spears, his mother Anna and younger sibling, Andrea. As if being born of mixed heritage by an African-American mother and Mexican father did not contribute its own set of problems, the incessant yelling and fighting between his parents did. Domestic violence, attempted murder and deadly [shouting] provoke Anna to
relocate her children from the windy city of Chicago to Memphis, Tennessee with high hopes of starting over and the chance at a stable life.

Cameron Spears has had it rough and his new comrades are not aware of the nightmares he has experienced the last couple of years. Just when his family becomes accustomed to living a life of normalcy, the Spears receive deplorable news that will alter everything they have worked so hard to obtain--but this time murder prevails and either Anna, Cameron or Andrea are held
accountable.

THE THINGS I COULD TELL YOU is captivating! I was astonished and overjoyed upon realizing that a sixteen year-old high school student has penned a powerful novel of such a disturbing act. At the beginning of each chapter, Woodson, demonstrates his respect and admiration for literature with inspirational quotes from authors such as: Trevy A. McDonald (Time Will Tell), Sesvalah (Speak It Into Existence) and his Olive Harvey Middle School Principal, Helen Hawkins. What was to be an English assignment has transcended into a remarkable story of one family's survival and the aftermath of one person's innocent deed. This reviewer expects great things from this budding author and highly recommends THE THINGS I COULD TELL YOU.

Reviewed by Nicki Lancaster...