The Inside Struggle
Loretta Harris
ISBN: 9780978668136
Children's Heart Publishing
Reviewed By Sarah Givens

Official Apex Reviews Rating: 


Fifteen year-old Jamal is suddenly awakened one night by the strenuous coughing fits of his mother, Ra'Keisha. A single mother taking care of both Jamal and his two year-old sister, Ta'keisha, Ra'Keisha has suddenly grown very sick, and she can't breathe properly, nor can she express what exactly is wrong with her. Thinking fast, Jamal gets everyone dressed and down to the bus stop, where they then rush by bus to the hospital to have his mother examined. Leaving Jamal and Ta'keisha alone in the waiting room, the doctors soon return with the grimmest of news: Ra'Keisha has developed tuberculosis, and she only has two years to live.

His entire world shaken, Jamal returns home as the newly appointed breadwinner for the family. Times are tight, though, and money is even tighter, so when an old friend introduces Jamal to a sure-fire way of earning enough revenue to support his family, he can hardly resist. The only catch: the money-making scheme is illegal and involves a shady figure from Ra'Keisha's past whose true identity Jamal could never imagine…

Money in hand, things quickly turn around for Jamal and his family, and everything appears to be on the up and up – that is, until his mother suddenly dies, sending Jamal on a downward spiral into a deep depression that threatens to consume his life…when he suddenly learns the truth about the shady figure behind his recent success, though, will it make things better for him, or only intensify his struggle…?

The Inside Struggle depicts a powerful, stark example of a tough life mired in situations that are even tougher. Unfortunately, the daily struggle that defines Jamal's life is one that's all-too-familiar for countless other teenagers throughout the world, and Loretta Harris does a commendable job of reflecting that struggle in a realistic light, refusing to allow it to be caricaturized in any way. Her prose is sharp, her dialogue is crisp, and her characters shine with an internal light all their own. Highly recommended.