Tag: book promotion strategy

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if they don’t know about it? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.

When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us let the community know about a great book. So, without further adieu, here’s this week’s book review:

He Kan’t Kill Your Future

Sharquent Webster

Publisher: Outskirts Press, Inc.

ISBN 9781432764456

Reviewed by: Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views

“The author has written an excellent book that tells the journey of her life while growing up in South Central Los Angeles. This is not a story that is filled with happiness or love, but one that tells what it is like to grow up in a large family where no one really cares. It is Sharquent’s own story of being abused, neglected, beaten, and living on the streets. Many readers will never know this type of life, but for thousands this is what is normal to them. Did they choose this life? Many will prejudge and say yes. But who among us want to be unloved, neglected, abused and raped?

Sharquent’s father disappeared when she was young. She lived with her mother and nine siblings in a dilapidated house filled with strange people, an older brother who took pleasure in sexually abusing her and her sister and a mother who lived for finding things in the dumpster, including food. When someone you love or think you love leaves you suddenly it seems as if there is no hope. However, with all things that happened to Sharquent and her siblings, their mother continued to believe.

Not doing well in school or even liking it, Sharquent finds fulfillment in other areas: drugs, unsafe sex, stealing and calling jail her home. In addition, she had two children and after they were born she was ready to run back again to the streets to get her high. Even though she found Phillip who actually cared about her, the streets loved her more.

Through watching others hustle, she learned various ways to earn money to get drugs. Mind you now, she had two young children, but really they were a problem. After spending time in jail she was sent to an in-patient program to clean up and learn new skills. But often you can’t teach someone from the streets new skills; they are often very mistrustful and feel they know more than anyone else.

Finally, after many crises, mistrust and just pain, she found people who actually cared about and loved her regardless. The most important thing she found in her life was Jesus. It took some time but she finally surrendered all her anger, drug abuse and revenge and left it in his hands.

From a psychological point of view, this book is many things.

For those in the helping field it gives a clear, unbiased view of what it is like to live a life like this. She is not a flowery writer, just tells it like it is. For those who are at risk or already living this life it is a story of hope. She is my kind of woman.

This is a must read for all those who try to help others in her situation- we will never know all the details but what we do know is that it can happen. It is also for those who want to know how one gets in this type of situation and for those who feel they are better than anyone else.

I would love to use He Kan’t Kill Your Future in my Psychology college classes that I teach and have the students put themselves in the role of Sharquent and then in the role of a helper.”