I’ve read some really good books over my somewhat short 27 years. REALLY good books. I was browsing the shelves at Barnes & Noble a couple of months back when I came upon ‘A Piece of Cake‘. It, as a lot of books always are, was in the by 2 get 1 free section of the store. Generally my first stop when visiting a store like that.

Good Reads states the following –

This is the heart-wrenching true story of a girl named Cupcake and it begins when, aged eleven, she is orphaned and placed in the ‘care’ of sadistic foster parents. But there comes a point in her preteen years – maybe it’s the night she first tries to run away and is exposed to drugs, alcohol, and sex all at once – when Cupcake’s story shifts from a tear-jerking tragedy to a dark, deeply disturbing journey through hell.

The back of the book is a bit different but states basically the same. I mean, a journey through hell? I don’t want to sound like a crazy person (generally i’m trying to avoid that) but that sounded like something that I just had to read.

My idea of this book was that it would be somethings similar to ‘A Million Little Pieces‘. Everybody knows that story. The author that Oprah went crazy over and the entire book turned out to be more of a fabrication than a memoir.Well, i was wrong. Although i found it to be a similar concept the actual layout of the book and of course the story was completely different.

Overall the book was good. I didn’t find it as heart wrenching as something like ‘A Million Little Pieces’ or even ‘A Child Called It‘. I have to be upfront and say that it was kind of tough to get through. Not tough because it was depressing at times but because it at times was a bit boring. You could probably delete about 50% of the book and you would still get the same concept. I got a job, i was always high at work, i got fired, i got a new job, etc. The same thing over and over. Ditto in terms of the actual drug use and the ups and downs.

Sounds crazy but i would still recommend the read. I think that a lot of us turn our heads to these things that are going on in our very own communities. Although the story itself could be labeled as ‘stereotypical’ I do think that it helps to break those molds. A black women who has had an unfortunate life and the journeys through the ups and downs.

The good thing about this book is the fact that she fixes it! I’m not a fan of a ‘boo hoo’ or ‘poor me’ type of story. I’m sorry if someone finds that offensive but i’m not. We all go through ups and downs and these trials are what turn you into the person that you are. Pick up your life and move on (just being honest). I never got that vibe with this book, never.

Not once did i felt like i was reading a sob story. It was a sad story without a doubt but she owned up to every mistake and pitfall that she had. She knew what she was doing was wrong and never blamed it on the community that was around her. Never blamed it on friends, family, or any other circumstance. The author did a spectacular job of letting you feel bad with out trying to make you feel bad.

I hope that makes sense to someone other than me, lol. I felt it was a good read and would recommend it to anybody wanting to read something similar. It’s not one i would rush out to buy (or even pay full price for). Sorry for being blunt. I on the other hand am really looking forward to reading other books by Cupcake (yes that is her name, read the book to find out why). The way she writes was very fluent and easy to read. I think that a lot of authors struggle when it comes to conversational items. Conversations can be chunky and at times hard to follow (I love James Patterson but it’s true.. i get confused at times).

Is anybody else reading anything good this summer? Looking for some good new reads!