I never thought life would be so hard.

books:

	• True Believer (Make Lemonade Trilogy) Virginia Euwer Wolff Simon Pulse, 2002 - 272 pages average customer review:based on 52 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

True Believer

True Believer is about a 15 year old girl living with her mother in an apartment in the slum of a city. Her Name is la Vaughn, And La Vaughn Is a very Low Class Girl. She Dosnt Get New things All The Time. She can barely ever get what she wants.

La Vaughn is raised in a very bad neighborrhood were kids die of drugs and getting shot. It's all common in Her Neighborhood. Basically No one in La Vaughns neighborhood Makes it through Highschool. So La Vaugns Mother Is Willin g To do What ever it takes for her to get to college an get a good education.

An One Day La Vaughns mother comes home from work with a "friend" And La Vaughn Gets angry because she thinks her mother is betraying her dead father, By replacing him with a new man. And, La Vaughns friends are getting into some stuff that La Vaughn disagree's about.
And While All of this is happening, La Vaugns Child Hood Friend Comes Back And Turns her feelings for him about side down and all around. But the only Problem for La Vaughn is if Jody, The Boy Feels The Same...

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A solid sequel - and a wonderful book

The interesting thing about "True Believer" is that though it's a sequel, it could probably stand reasonably well on its own. Sure, much character development and introduction is done in "Make Lemonade", and it's easier to understand the background story if you've already read that wonderful book, but in the end, "True Believer" stands strong as its own book, written in the same special manner, touching hearts and giving readers hope.

I'm not usually a fan of "prose" writing - it can be bothersome and distracting - but Virginia Euwer Wolff makes it so far from annoying that I find myself eagerly reading on. The writing flows naturally and simply, as though it's obvious there's no other way to convey what's being said. Character development continues and occurs, mostly through main character LaVaghn's eyes and her confused and changing way of looking at the world.

One of the things I like most about this book is that it's not exactly happy, nor is it depressing in any way. It's sadly honest, whether in the brutal facts of life that hurt LaVaughn every day or in her decisions, sometimes bad, sometimes better. It handles difficult issues impressively well - religion, among them. LaVaughn finds herself in a religious quandary of sorts, in that her best friends are suddenly heavily involved in religion while she turns to science and finds herself questioning numerous religious ideas. It's an interesting development that insults no one, speaking simply, honestly, and truly.

"True Believer" will give readers hope if they've lost it and a window into a different world if they already had it. It's a wonderfully special book, written in a unique manner and full of true and vivid characters. It's a pleasure to read not just once but again and again. It's not about the main topic of the book as mentioned on the back cover (Jody and love), but rather about a sort of survival of the soul, a triumph of will, and the lovely growth in LaVaughn.

Highly recommended and prepare to enjoy.

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I never thought life would be so hard.

Wow... True Beliver! The girl in this story Is a true believer.
In the book it talks about sex an and things that could happen an how to prevent them from actually happening.
The 15 year old girl La Vaughn. La vaughn has faced things that i never thought about facing.
She bele
ives in her self. And God. La Vaugn was a very up tight girl. She wanted to go to college an wanted to do many things. La Vaughn did not care about the things she didnt have. Unlike many others. La Vaugn an her mother lived in a dirty old apartment. In the Slum of a city. La vaughn was happy girl..

Then One Day La Vaughns mother brings a friend home..
Only the Friend.. Wasn't going to help very much...
An don't worry. it only gets worse from there...

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Teenager Overcomes Obstacles

LaVaughn was the main character in the first book of this trilogy, called "Make Lemondade." However, this book has little to do with the first one, and can be read on its own.

LaVaughn is a teenager who lives in the inner city with her mother. Her father was killed years ago, caught in gang crossfire. LaVaughn and her mother do not have much money, but her mother is determined that her daughter will achieve her dream of going to college.

In this story, LaVaughn is struggling with a lot. First there is the issue of her two best friends. All of a sudden they have decided to devote their lives to Jesus and a radical church group. This group is very exclusive and encourages its members to only do church activities and spend time with other members of the church group. LaVaughn does not agree with the teachings of this group, and by not joining she becomes more and more isolated from her best friends. There is also the fact that LaVaughn has signed up for an after-school grammar strengthening class to prepare her for college. She is seen as a snob for wanting to speak properly and for hanging around with the other kids who are taking this grammar class.

However, the biggest turmoil in LaVaughn's life surrounds the boy who moves into her building. Jody used to live there when he was young and was in LaVaughn's elementary school classes. After a classmate of theirs was killed, Jody's mother moved them somewhere where she felt their lives could be better. They couldn't afford to stay there, though, so they have moved back. LaVaughn falls immediately in love with this boy she used to know when they were little, and she dreams of being his girlfriend. But things aren't going well. He doesn't seem as interested in her as she is in him. Can she convince him that they would be perfect together?

I really liked this book. I like that LaVaughn's character is so true to herself and she and her mother have such a strong relationship. This book was sensitive and interesting, and showed the dynamics between friends from different groups. I also like the format of this book, the way it is written in blank verse. It makes for a quick read, and it gets some really powerful emotions across.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

LaVaughn is fifteen now, and she's still fiercely determined to go to college. But that's the only thing she's sure about. Loyalty to her father bubbles up as her mother grows closer to a new man. The two girls she used to do everything with have chosen a path LaVaughn wants no part of. And then there's Jody. LaVaughn can't believe how gorgeous he is...or how confusing. He acts like he's in love with her, but is he?

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