Rating: 
Summary: Lies and [illegal substance] for Stardom--Kayla Valdes
Review: The book Born Blue, written by Han Nolan, is an excellent book. Although it has some flaws, it is still very interesting. It's well written in most parts and you can get a feeling of what the main character is thinking at times. This book should have a strong connection with kids tat have been in a foster parent's care, even though the experience in the book isn't positive. I do not recommend this book to anyone under the age of twelve because of the content inside it.
Janie or Leshaya, as she is later called, was abandoned by her heroin-addict Mama Linda at the age of four. While Janie was swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, her Mama Linda is getting high and doesn't pay attention to Janie when she starts to drown. Janie get put into a hospital, and when she is released she get put into a foster home with Patsy and Pete in Alabama. In this house she meets another foster child named Harmon, an African-American who introduces Janie to "the ladies", whose music churns her sole. This music inspires Janie to sing, at times that's the only thing that she can think about. Harmon and Janie became good friends, being around Harmon made Janie think that she was an African-American and that she was just "light". Harmon's and Janie's social worker, Doris, is the only other that Janie talks to. When Harmon gets adopted and Doris's daughter, Leshaya, dies Janie is left all alone. In honor of Leshaya, Janie changes her name and decides to be Leshaya.
One day when Leshaya is coming home from school, Mama Linda appears and she takes her away. Leshaya knows that she is being kidnapped, but she doesn't care since she is with her mother. Little does she know that her mother actually sold her for heroin. She then goes to live with her new "parents" Daddy Mitch and Mama Shell, who later on get arrested for [illegal substance]. Leshaya takes some of the profits that Daddy Mitch made selling heroin and runs away before the police can come and put her back into Patsy's and Pete's house. She finds where Harmon lives and decides to invite herself to live with them for a while. Once she ruined her friendship with Harmon and his family, she runs away again and meets up with a band. This band is Leshaya's first big break, people actually get to hear her sing and this makes Leshaya gets into bigger things. During some turning with a band, Leshaya gets pregnant and when she gives birth to the baby she gives it to Harmon, even though he isn't the father. Leshaya becomes [an] addict at the age of fourteen and start not to care about life anymore. Leshaya has a lot to deal with in her life, but can she make the right decisions?
Noland uses a lot of literary elements in this book. She does a great job with the plot of this book. The story is well thought out and planed. The imagery in this book is really good, sometimes you can actually get the feeling that you are Leshaya and you're suffering as much as her. For example, you could really feel the pain Leshaya was going through when she had to give up her daughter. I think that this novel is just like the blues; it makes you feel sad and alone, but yet sympathetic for the character.
I really started enjoying this book at the end, the last two chapters to be exact, because the author finally got to the resolution of the book. The part that I didn't like about this book was the way the author portrayed the character. Leshaya was, at first, an admirable person, but hen she turned into a self-centered ... addict. Another thing I didn't enjoy was that the author made Leshaya use improper English and that made it confusing at times. Despite all the negative parts to the book, overall, it was very interesting. You can really get the feeling of what some kids are feeling. I would defiantly recommend this book to anyone, young or old. It has great ideas on what young foster children are going through.
Rating: 
Summary: born blue fan...mc
Review: The title and author of the book I read, was "Born Blue" by Han Nolan.
I enjoyed reading this book because; it wasn't like most endings in books. Instead of the usual happy ending, it was a sad, depressing ending, with lots of mixed emotions. For example, the last few sentences in the book "were to much to give up that night, though. Harmon had Etta. He got the better deal. I stuffed the watch back in my pack and set out cross the lawn" (page 277). In the novel, Janie has one of the hardest lives, that I have ever herd of, and on top of it all, she's only a young girl. Janie's mother is a druggie, Janie gets kidnapped, by her mother's druggie friends, Janie gets pregnant, and so many other awful things happen to her.
The theme of the novel is, no matter what hard ships life gives you, keep working towards your goals. I think that's, that is a very good and respectable theme. I agree with the idea behind it. The theme sort-of relates to my life. I've had some hardships, like Janie, but not as many or as difficult to handle as her. I've had problems with my biological mother, just as Janie has. I've also been in situations, where I am not sure what I want to do, but I made a choice and I had to live with it. Like in the part where, Janie lived with Harmon. She met a band that was full of kids with bad reputations. She chose to hang with the band, because she was working towards her goal, singing. Janie figured if she hung out with the kids, then they might take her to where she wanted to go in the music business. Sadly, the plan didn't work out, and Janie was back to square one.
I would recommend this book to anyone in the world with issues, or someone who is sick of that usual "happy" ending. I even recommend this book to those people who want to see the good side of bad, and the bad side of good. This book is something worth experiencing. It gives awesome details to feeling that are unimaginable. This book is truly a work of art.
Rating:
Summary: Troubled girl who has stayed with me.
Review: This book is so touching. Jane/Leshaya is a troubled child who stumbles along from one problematic situation to another. All along, I felt her pain and kept hoping the sun would shine and keep shining for this girl. It's been over a week since I read this book and the main character is still with me. I keep hearing her voice in my head. I only wish that I could hear her singing voice. My only problem is that her dialect didn't always ring true with me, however, it's not overdone. This is an excellent read. I'd recommend it to teens or anyone who loves a good read.
Rating:
Summary: AWESOME BOOK!!!!!!
Review: This book was absolutely fantastic!!! I could not put down this adventurous book about a girl who has been fostered since she was about 5. She has a passion for singing and has had a dream to become famous with her outstanding voice. Between her drug adict mother and all of her foster parents she has ventured off into the world and found herself in many relationships.She has also found herself in situations that have not been very beneficial except for her darling daughter Etta. I wish there were a sequel to this book because of its mind-blowing ending!
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: This book was so amazing.I read this book ounce and just had to read it again.It is one of my favorite books and it is a book that I recomend for any1.Born Blue deserves an award................a very special one.Whenever blue you know what book to turn to
Rating:
Summary: Excellent but Sad
Review: This book was so inspiring for teens who want to sing. No more of that fairy tale junk. This book was what sometimes happened, what people didn't want to see. Leshaya's drive was more than I could ever have. IT showed me that I didn't have to end up on that road to become a singer. It also showed me that if Leshaya could do it, I can.
Rating:
Summary: Deep- a very hardcore read into a teenage girl`s mind
Review: This was an excellent book. I recommend this book for teens, or very mature people. No kids! Han Nolan is a real writer. She takes real problems and gives them real answers, not like fairy tales. In this book she writes about a girl who is desperate to sing the blues. Born into a life of hardship, this girl is determined to get on top, no matter what.
Rating: 
Summary: Alright book
Review: This was an extremely dramatic book. It dealt with some pretty delicate situations.
Leshaya lives with her mother for a short time. Her mother is a heroine addict. Leshaya goes to a first foster home; her new mother is a nervous control freak and her new father is quiet and gone all the time, but Leshaya likes him. Then her mother shows up: her new Father is a drug dealer and sold her mother heroine. Leshaya goes to many foster homes and goes through alot. She ends up at the same place she started, right at the side of her mother.
I liked the book, don't get me wrong, but there were alot of things that got to me about the book:
1) Leshaya is any thing but a hero: she lets herself go at any time: drugs, sex, any thing.
2) Leshaya is stupid. She does stupid things to people who care about her and ruins all the relationships in her life.
3) The end of the book was extremely disappointing.
A good book, but defidentily not one of my favorites.
~Atalanta
Rating:
Summary: Alright book
Review: This was an extremely dramatic book. It dealt with some pretty delicate situations. Leshaya lives with her mother for a short time. Her mother is a heroine addict. Leshaya goes to a first foster home; her new mother is a nervous control freak and her new father is quiet and gone all the time, but Leshaya likes him. Then her mother shows up: her new Father is a drug dealer and sold her mother heroine. Leshaya goes to many foster homes and goes through alot. She ends up at the same place she started, right at the side of her mother. I liked the book, don't get me wrong, but there were alot of things that got to me about the book: 1) Leshaya is any thing but a hero: she lets herself go at any time: drugs, sex, any thing.
2) Leshaya is stupid. She does stupid things to people who care about her and ruins all the relationships in her life.
3) The end book of the book was extremely disappointing. A good book, but defidentily not one of my favorites. ~Atalanta
Rating:
Summary: Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This was one of the best books i have ever read. It's about a girl who's mom is a heroin addict and this girl has gone through foster parents, drugs, alcohol, and an unwanted pregnancy. But all she wants to do is to sing like the ladies.
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