Rating: 
Summary: Even better than Dancing On The Edge
Review: I thought no way any of Han Nolan's books could be better than her book "Dancing on the Edge" but I guess I was wrong. "Born Blue" was one of the best books I've ever read. I particularly like the way it was told in blackspeak. It made me feel as if I could hear Leshaya talking. I'm glad she made the decision in the end to leave Etta alone. Who knows, maybe she'll come back to Harmon someday.
Rating:
Summary: !!!
Review: If you are looking for a feel good book this is not. Born Blue is a story about love, happiness, and survival. Lashaya is anything but perfect, except for her amazing voice. All she cares about is making it in the big time even if that means hurting all those around her, including her own daughter.
Ths book is not ment to have a happy ending or even an okay ending/ It's fresh, raw and to the point. If you are an experiance reader then this is a great book, if not, try reading a book about sisterhoods.
Rating: 
Summary: Teen Tradegy
Review: Janie (Leshaya) has it terrible right from the get-go. A child of a heroine addict, Janie has never known her father, and can't even fathom what real love might be. She spends most of her life in foster care with her mother coming once in awhile to visit. She learns to put all of her pain into her singing, and it drives her on. Her voice is incredible and draws attention to her, and she is determined to make it as a singer. Without guidance, support and love, this only leads to drugs, alcholol and pregnancy. Janie pushes everyone away that tries to help her, and care for her until she has nothing left. She decides to take her baby back so at least she has her, but in the end makes a difficult choice and demonstrates her love for her daughter.
The despair and emptiness of Janie's life is felt through Han Nolan's words. It is a harrowing journey with Janie that the reader goes on with few happy times to lighten the burden. The reader sees how Janie makes poor choices and actually uses her history as a crux, instead of rising above to be successful. Even her talent as a gifted singer cannot help her when she is self-destructing and taking all around with her.
Rating:
Summary: makes you appreciate even the most depressing life
Review: Janie a young girl with the love for music is set out to be just like the ladies- Etta, Aretha, and Billie. But to do that she has to be black so she changes her name to Leysha and tells everyone her un-known father is African American. As she grows she is kiddnaped by two friends of her heroin addict mother and later runs away from foster home to foster home serching for her big break. Along the way she experiences young pregnecy, being a drug addict, and being a strugling mother/woman. She finnaly finds a band and gets a single put on the radio.It's not what that empty hole inside her needed and she serches to find what matters most- Herself.
Rating:
Summary: Lovestruck by Music
Review: Janie is the main character in Born Blue. She is born to a drug addict mother who nearly lets her drown at age four. That is when social services steps in and puts her in a foster home. It is here that she meets a foster brother, Harmon, who introduces her to the "ladies"--Aretha Franklin, Etta James, etc. She and Harmon would go to the basement of the "stink house" and listen to his tapes of the ladies. The words and the ladies' powerful voices burned into Janie's head. When Janie is seven, her birth mother kidnapps her and trades her for heroin. Her new parents are Mitch, a drug dealer, and Mama Shell, who becomes a user of them because she is so paranoid about having Janie. While there Janie changes her name to Leshaya. One day when she was returning from school, she sees the police taking both her parents away in handcuffs. At this point she starts running her own life. She finds Harmon again but the friendship is shortlived. She finds bands to sing with and her sultry, sexy, heartbroken, yearning voice is awesome. All she ever wants to do is sing and be famous. Unfortunately, Leshaya is also drawn to drugs and alcohol which affects her judgment. She ends up pregnant at twelve years old. Will she follow the path her own mother took or will she take the higher road and devote herself to this child? Two characters lives end in this book. You'll have to read it to find out who and how their lives tragically end.
Han Nolan addresses many issues in Born Blue. These are serious issues that many young adults face. By age twelve, Janie has lived with five sets of parents, experienced drugs, alcohol, sex, unwanted pregnancy, and an eating disorder. Just pick up this riveting novel and watch how Janie's own self destructive behavior and flawed decision making send her life on a downward spiral.
Rating: 
Summary: A Page Turner
Review: Leshaya is a young girl with a very troubled past. Her birth mother is a heroin addict and her foster parents neglect her. Early on her only comfort comes from listening to tapes of "the ladies," such singers as Etta James and Billie Holiday. She soon discovers she has a gift for singing as well. From then on all that makes sense to Leshaya is singing. She does whatever it takes to realize her dream. Unfortunately, all the years of neglect and abuse have an effect on Leshaya as she bounces around from person to person, ruining every relationship she has. This book is a definite page turner, I'll give it that. However, just like all the characters in the book that Leshaya encounters, I found her very hard to like. Even knowing of her rough life it is hard to see past her selfish and cruel ways. The book ends the best way possible, in my opinion. Leshaya faced with a very difficult situation finally makes a good, correct decision.
Rating:
Summary: Leshaya moves into your heart & mind
Review: Leshaya will climb inside your head and bounce around for weeks after you've finished Born Blue. It's a tragic story of girl who didn't get what she needed - and deserved - and your heart will ache for her at every turn of the page. Leshaya is one of the most memorable young American narrators since Huck Finn.
Rating:
Summary: full of soul
Review: Little Janie..poor little Janie. when she was just four years old she drownd,and almost died. But she didnt die. she was taken away from her mother and put in a foster home. She made a freaind named harmen in this foster home. Harmon had some tapes that his real father left him. they lisend to the 'ladies' all the time. janie soon discoverd she could sing. later in her life she was snached by her real mother..mama linda. she was taken to her new parents mama shell and dady mitch. mama shell was nice to janie(who was now leshaya because she needed a new name because she was pritty much abducted). leshaya soon finds out her real mother..mama linda.. was a haroin addict and sold her for drugs. soon mama shell and dady mitch get arrested and leshaya hits the road. she gos to harmons house because thats the only place she knew to go. she soon totally ruins the relastion ship bettween her and the harmon. she goes off still travling for her dream..singing. she goes from band to band its really easy for her to get into a band shes realy good at singing. soon she ends up having sex,drinking,taking drugs, ect.
she ends up pregnant. no big deal nothing is to her. she has a baby girl and names is etta after her roll model. the baby was going to be taken away by the ugly social worker so lesheya..again.. runs away. she goes to the james house (harmons house) and gives the baby back
soon she has her own single on the radio. but then ruins her relastion ship with the band by doing drugs with one of the members. she moves on. she only knows one place eles to go mama linda. mama linda is varry sick and crazy. she is going to die. selfish as leshaya is she just wants to go instead of taking care of mama linda. but the old lady that helps mama linda makes her stay and leshaya soon relises that its alright. she watches mama linda die. and mama linda dies. she stays with the old lady for a wile. then she decides she wants here baby,etta, back she goes to the james's house and looks in the window, and there little etta was, she looked so happy so for once leshaya made a good disiosion. she desided to leave her.
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varry good book but there was just one thing i had agent it-
leshaya is dumb and selfish and also she has an accent in the book
ex:"i cain't sing"
but u get used to it
Rating:
Summary: A Compassionate View of RAD
Review: Many professionals are writing about reactive attachment disorder, but this is the first book I've encountered that allows the reader to see into the soul of a child with this condition. The author does not attempt to sponge up the messes the protagonist creates for herself. Instead Han Nolan helps the reader understand why a child with this condition views the world without empathy for others. The protagonist's only concern is for herself because she cannot trust anyone else to care for her. The world is, after all, a very dangerous place. Despite the protagonist's anti-social actions, the reader experiences compassion for her. Perhaps this book will help more people become aware of RAD. We must continue to seek therapeutic alternatives for these children.
Rating:
Summary: Born Blue by Han Nolan
Review: The author talks about a life of a girl in a dream of being a singer and being famous. Her life goes through lot of twist and turns.This book is one of the best I ever read, but there is some nasty parts through the book.
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