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From Race to Redemption #1
The 'N' Word
WARNING: This book is adult in nature. It is for mature audiences only.
PLEASE NOTE: This is the FIRST book of a two-book series. The second book, "Word of Honor" is being released at the exact same time, and is also available NOW. They can be purchased together. Thank you.
They say there are two sides to a story. And two sides to every man… Aaron Pike is one of those men.
Aaron is a white nationalist, a Commander in the organization and Nazi who grew up in Frisco City and Gordon, Alabama. He considers himself an activist and purist for the white race in America and offers no pretenses or excuses for his controversial views, affiliations, machinations, and sometimes violent behavior.
Despite the common theory or belief that the majority of white supremacists are void of any aptitude and acumen, Aaron is not only intelligent, but also sometimes charming, witty, and funny. He has the power to disturb and fluster with merely a look. Much to no one’s surprise, including his own, he ends up in the prison system, serving a stint for beating a man nearly to death in what is perceived as a racially driven assault.
While serving his term, the recidivist Aaron believes as he's always done that he will serve his time and be right back out on the front lines of the movement. However, fate ushers him down a different path altogether…
A new prison psychiatrist is assigned to Holman Correctional Facility, and Mr. Pike is forced to delve deep and discuss in detail situations regarding not only his tumultuous past, but his not so clear future. …And the future holds a strong desire to meet a woman he is not only compatible with but one he is determined to make his wife…
Mia Armstrong is an elementary schoolteacher from a conservative, Christian background. She also volunteers at the prison, and is asked to help spread the word about a prison pen pal program. In that process, she runs into Aaron, and before long, the two hit it off. Only there is one problem… Mia Armstrong is African American. The two forge an alliance and that friendship flourishes into pure, unadulterated love.
How will Aaron deal with the truth of his feelings? Can he force himself to hate a woman he adores and loves based on her race alone? Will Mia be able to stay by his side after discovering the darker edge of the man she’s fallen helplessly in love with? Will she be able to offer forgiveness and redemption or will she turn her back on a lost soul who is used to not giving love, or receiving it?
Step inside of this explosive novel, ‘The ‘N’ Word’, to find out how this story of unlikely love unfolds.
PLEASE NOTE: This is the FIRST book of a two-book series. The second book, "Word of Honor" is being released at the exact same time, and is also available NOW. They can be purchased together. Thank you.
They say there are two sides to a story. And two sides to every man… Aaron Pike is one of those men.
Aaron is a white nationalist, a Commander in the organization and Nazi who grew up in Frisco City and Gordon, Alabama. He considers himself an activist and purist for the white race in America and offers no pretenses or excuses for his controversial views, affiliations, machinations, and sometimes violent behavior.
Despite the common theory or belief that the majority of white supremacists are void of any aptitude and acumen, Aaron is not only intelligent, but also sometimes charming, witty, and funny. He has the power to disturb and fluster with merely a look. Much to no one’s surprise, including his own, he ends up in the prison system, serving a stint for beating a man nearly to death in what is perceived as a racially driven assault.
While serving his term, the recidivist Aaron believes as he's always done that he will serve his time and be right back out on the front lines of the movement. However, fate ushers him down a different path altogether…
A new prison psychiatrist is assigned to Holman Correctional Facility, and Mr. Pike is forced to delve deep and discuss in detail situations regarding not only his tumultuous past, but his not so clear future. …And the future holds a strong desire to meet a woman he is not only compatible with but one he is determined to make his wife…
Mia Armstrong is an elementary schoolteacher from a conservative, Christian background. She also volunteers at the prison, and is asked to help spread the word about a prison pen pal program. In that process, she runs into Aaron, and before long, the two hit it off. Only there is one problem… Mia Armstrong is African American. The two forge an alliance and that friendship flourishes into pure, unadulterated love.
How will Aaron deal with the truth of his feelings? Can he force himself to hate a woman he adores and loves based on her race alone? Will Mia be able to stay by his side after discovering the darker edge of the man she’s fallen helplessly in love with? Will she be able to offer forgiveness and redemption or will she turn her back on a lost soul who is used to not giving love, or receiving it?
Step inside of this explosive novel, ‘The ‘N’ Word’, to find out how this story of unlikely love unfolds.
309 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 7, 2015
154 people are currently reading
1218 people want to read
About the author
Tiana Laveen
98 books506 followersTiana Laveen was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. She moved away, and now lives inside of her mind, but her heart is occupied with her husband, two children, and twisted imagination. She enjoys a fulfilling and enriching life that includes writing books, public speaking, drawing, painting, listening to music, cooking, and spending time with loved ones.
Tiana Laveen is a uniquely creative and innovative author whose romance fiction is geared towards those who not only want to temporarily escape from the daily routines of life, but also became pleasantly caught up in the twisted, well developed journeys of her unique characters. Tiana creates a painting with words as she guides her reader into the lives of each and every main character. Her dedication to detail and staying true to her characters is evident in each novel that she writes.
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nope
February 2, 2021A White Nationalist Nazi romanticized as a hero?
October 1, 2015
Analogy Hell
ZOMG, the overuse similes and metaphors were killing me. Also, the diagnoses in the book are so far off that my mind is boggled. Also, I'm confused at Mia's Tammy Wynette routine. Seriously, I hated everyone in this book and Dr. Owens is a psychologist, not a psychiatrist. He has not done medication maintenance once! Also, THAT IS NOT HOW TRICKLE DOWN THEORY WORKS. Sweet Jesus, I need a nap before I start book two. I paid for it so I have to read it. This book was truly a beat down. Honestly, 1/2 way in, I didn't care anymore. Alabama must only have two women in the whole state named Mia and Melissa. I'm not even sure how he put that together with his wonder powers. Also, I take it Alabama has not joined the rest of the nation having smoke free facilities. I mean, that's why it's considered contraband. I dunno. Too much shenanigans and foolishness (but not in the good, messy way) for me. I hope Mia looses her access to the prison and gets a restriction placed on teacher's certification for being morally gross and a coward.
Okay, a GoodReads friend suggested that I post why the diagnoses bothered me so much. Here ya go:
The lead does not show any signs of schizophrenia, nor does he show signs of narcissism. I'm not even sure where she got that idea from. Antisocial Personality Disorder? Yes. Is he a sociopath? Well, I'm leaning towards no, but I don't have enough evidence to say one way or the other definitively. The terms she's using are layman's terms. Being self-centered or egocentric IS NOT the same as being narcissistic despite perceived grandiosity. If he were truly narcissistic then the would have no true sense of self and would be all about the groupie hero worship. That worship gives him identity and without it he would go into a shame spiral. It is way more complex than that. Besides, he's manipulative, not dual minded. BTW, schizophrenia and multiple personalities are nowhere close to the same. I describe schizophrenia as a sane reaction to a stimulus that is not really happening. If you heard or seen what they were experiencing then their reaction would make a ton of sense. Medication is amazing because it lessens those symptoms and things are pretty manageable then. Nothing she started made sense. Also, don't get me started on the pen pal thing as a modality of treatment. Besides, most prisons allow pen pals. It's kinda one of your rights unless you have been engaging in illegal activities.
ZOMG, the overuse similes and metaphors were killing me. Also, the diagnoses in the book are so far off that my mind is boggled. Also, I'm confused at Mia's Tammy Wynette routine. Seriously, I hated everyone in this book and Dr. Owens is a psychologist, not a psychiatrist. He has not done medication maintenance once! Also, THAT IS NOT HOW TRICKLE DOWN THEORY WORKS. Sweet Jesus, I need a nap before I start book two. I paid for it so I have to read it. This book was truly a beat down. Honestly, 1/2 way in, I didn't care anymore. Alabama must only have two women in the whole state named Mia and Melissa. I'm not even sure how he put that together with his wonder powers. Also, I take it Alabama has not joined the rest of the nation having smoke free facilities. I mean, that's why it's considered contraband. I dunno. Too much shenanigans and foolishness (but not in the good, messy way) for me. I hope Mia looses her access to the prison and gets a restriction placed on teacher's certification for being morally gross and a coward.
Okay, a GoodReads friend suggested that I post why the diagnoses bothered me so much. Here ya go:
The lead does not show any signs of schizophrenia, nor does he show signs of narcissism. I'm not even sure where she got that idea from. Antisocial Personality Disorder? Yes. Is he a sociopath? Well, I'm leaning towards no, but I don't have enough evidence to say one way or the other definitively. The terms she's using are layman's terms. Being self-centered or egocentric IS NOT the same as being narcissistic despite perceived grandiosity. If he were truly narcissistic then the would have no true sense of self and would be all about the groupie hero worship. That worship gives him identity and without it he would go into a shame spiral. It is way more complex than that. Besides, he's manipulative, not dual minded. BTW, schizophrenia and multiple personalities are nowhere close to the same. I describe schizophrenia as a sane reaction to a stimulus that is not really happening. If you heard or seen what they were experiencing then their reaction would make a ton of sense. Medication is amazing because it lessens those symptoms and things are pretty manageable then. Nothing she started made sense. Also, don't get me started on the pen pal thing as a modality of treatment. Besides, most prisons allow pen pals. It's kinda one of your rights unless you have been engaging in illegal activities.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2021
Gonna start this off by saying racists don’t deserve cooch.
So I finally finished this book and my brain cells feel fried. By my assumption, this story is essentially supposed to be about a racist white man who turns away from his racist ways and finds redemption through the power of love…sigh.
Let’s begin with our male lead Aaron(a walking hate crime). Early in the book we see Aaron get sentenced for putting a black person in the hospital. We get to see just how much of a racist he is, in some triggering scenes. Aside from this I was expecting to slowly and gradually see his development and shame towards his actions. However, we don’t really see that until we are around 60% into the book. This man had no redeeming qualities, instead it is made clear that he only attacks people “when provoked”. That doesn’t make him any less of WHITE SUPREMACIST.
Next up we have Mia. My biggest problem with this book is probably this character. Shame, this woman is in a sunken place. I understand wanting to educate white people on their racism, but I want to emphasise, IT IS NOT THE JOB OF BLACK PEOPLE OR ANY POC TO SAVE WHITE PEOPLE FROM RACISM. Unfortunately this is what we see this character do. We see her make excuses for him and reward him for the bare minimum with phone sex. This character has contributed nothing to feminism.
The plot had potential, but, the approach to Aaron’s racism almost felt watered down. It also seems like the issue of his homophobia took a backseat. From the writing style I did not feel the impact of Aaron’s epiphany and their love as a whole.
There is a good amount of people who gave this high ratings and I genuinely tried to see the good in this book but I could not.
So I finally finished this book and my brain cells feel fried. By my assumption, this story is essentially supposed to be about a racist white man who turns away from his racist ways and finds redemption through the power of love…sigh.
Let’s begin with our male lead Aaron(a walking hate crime). Early in the book we see Aaron get sentenced for putting a black person in the hospital. We get to see just how much of a racist he is, in some triggering scenes. Aside from this I was expecting to slowly and gradually see his development and shame towards his actions. However, we don’t really see that until we are around 60% into the book. This man had no redeeming qualities, instead it is made clear that he only attacks people “when provoked”. That doesn’t make him any less of WHITE SUPREMACIST.
Next up we have Mia. My biggest problem with this book is probably this character. Shame, this woman is in a sunken place. I understand wanting to educate white people on their racism, but I want to emphasise, IT IS NOT THE JOB OF BLACK PEOPLE OR ANY POC TO SAVE WHITE PEOPLE FROM RACISM. Unfortunately this is what we see this character do. We see her make excuses for him and reward him for the bare minimum with phone sex. This character has contributed nothing to feminism.
The plot had potential, but, the approach to Aaron’s racism almost felt watered down. It also seems like the issue of his homophobia took a backseat. From the writing style I did not feel the impact of Aaron’s epiphany and their love as a whole.
There is a good amount of people who gave this high ratings and I genuinely tried to see the good in this book but I could not.
November 28, 2015
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I've recently become interested in this trope (White Nationalist/Black Woman) and have read a few good books on it, but this one is kind of on a different level. It's obvious that a lot of research went into this. The hero is extremely intelligent and focused, and the sessions between himself and the prison psychiatrist are literary gold. I mean, just brilliant. Apart from that, yes, we've seen the White prisoner fall in love with black penpal before, but when Aaron admits his philosophy to Mia, she resolves to continue communicating with him, in an attempt to show him the error of his ways. She doesn't reveal the fact that she's black. Dun dun dunnnnnn.
I'm yet to read one of these books where the woman doesn't come across as a little dumb, and maybe that's to be expected. A successful woman, with a booming social life, and loads of self esteem isn't writing, and falling for, a prison inmate. Instead we have Mia, a school teacher, lonely after the break up of her boyfriend a few years ago and looking to make a difference. She wasn't desperate, but she wasn't that bright either. After Aaron's first letter where he admits he's looking for a wife, lists all his redeeming qualities and all the criteria he's looking for in her, Mia should have shredded that letter and kept it pushing. All she asked him was what his favorite color is and what kind of music he likes and he's talking about providing for children they might have. In the very first letter!! Ok, but she didn't; she let him know she wasn't interested in being with an inmate, but would offer friendship. Fine. The letters were nice and I enjoyed them opening up to each other. It's when they branched off into the ' I love yous' that they started to lose me. I'm still trying to understand how they got so far into the relationship, professing love for each other, with her sending him baked goods, and him planning their future, and he hadn't asked for a picture of her. They hadn't even spoken on the phone yet. To be clear, I'm not saying you can't fall in love with someone through written correspondence but, given Aaron's alpha personality, and his need to control everything, this doesn't jive. By the time things progressed to them having phone sex and talking about being together on the outside, one would imagine he would want more to go on than a 'description'. This is the woman he was planning to marry and be the mother of his children.
I actually liked Mia. I understood her desire to help Aaron, that she was impressed with his intelligence and the fact that he was opening up to her, but at times I just couldn't with her. Her admitting to her parents that she was in love with, and standing by, a currently incarcerated White Nationalist, WHO DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS BLACK, was too stupid for color television. Like seriously, I couldn't. I do agree with her that they had come into each other's lives for a reason. I just wish she wasn't so dingy about it.
Stylewise, there's a lot to love in this book. The humor is amazing. There were so many times I was snorting or laughing out loud. The dialogue is great. Some of the prose is a little preachy, but I think that was partially due to the author trying to incorporate her extensive research into the story. This author's writing style can be a bit dense/wordy/'more convoluted than it needs to be' sometimes anyway, and while some of it is beautifully poetic, at times it feels like it's trying too hard. Thankfully that was minimal in this book and most of it was easygoing and clear. I skipped all the poetry, sorry. I also skimmed most of the stuff with Mia's friend/cousin? and the stuff with her class. I was too anxious to get back to Aaron and Mia. It took almost 25% of the book for them to even start communicating in the first place.
What really made this book for me was Aaron, everything about him. He was an extremely complex character and the author did a masterful job getting us to empathize with him through the exploration of his background, his dissatisfaction with his former relationship, and his desire to be a good father to his daughter. I get goosebumps thinking of the mental sparring between Aaron and Dr. Owens. It is that good. Actually, to be honest, the sessions with Dr. Owens interested me more than a lot of the stuff with Mia. Thankfully, I didn't allow my first impression of Aaron, in his 'A Word from Our Hero' intro to cloud my judgment. It's not that he came off as an a-hole, which he did, but I'm guessing that was the author's intent. It's that first person narration of how 'bad' and 'important' a character is always fails to impress me and always leaves me feeling like 'People think you're a God; man, go have a seat'. Really, I should have skipped that entire note and just delved right into the story. Two others friends currently reading the book expressed the same sentiment. It does nothing for him; you get to experience his growth well enough in the story itself.
Storywise, things were going great until 96%. Aaron's meltdown over Mia's name switch didn't make sense. The names were too close in similarity to warrant such a violent reaction (ETA: this is later explained in Book 2 but at the end of Book 1 doesn't work). One could easily have been a nickname for the other. Mia's subsequent reaction, because she was so in love, had me rolling my eyes. I skimmed most of that after that twist.
So! Final answer - this is a well researched, totally enjoyable book about a White Supremacist who falls in love with, who he thinks, is a white penpal. The author does the hero proud, and his journey into himself is brilliantly done. The book is not without its flaws, but they are not enough to detract from a solid 4 star rating. Editing is well done. There were only a few errors, nothing to write home about. The ending is some kind of weird 'not quite a cliffhanger', but I am off to book 2! See you on the other side.
I'm yet to read one of these books where the woman doesn't come across as a little dumb, and maybe that's to be expected. A successful woman, with a booming social life, and loads of self esteem isn't writing, and falling for, a prison inmate. Instead we have Mia, a school teacher, lonely after the break up of her boyfriend a few years ago and looking to make a difference. She wasn't desperate, but she wasn't that bright either. After Aaron's first letter where he admits he's looking for a wife, lists all his redeeming qualities and all the criteria he's looking for in her, Mia should have shredded that letter and kept it pushing. All she asked him was what his favorite color is and what kind of music he likes and he's talking about providing for children they might have. In the very first letter!! Ok, but she didn't; she let him know she wasn't interested in being with an inmate, but would offer friendship. Fine. The letters were nice and I enjoyed them opening up to each other. It's when they branched off into the ' I love yous' that they started to lose me. I'm still trying to understand how they got so far into the relationship, professing love for each other, with her sending him baked goods, and him planning their future, and he hadn't asked for a picture of her. They hadn't even spoken on the phone yet. To be clear, I'm not saying you can't fall in love with someone through written correspondence but, given Aaron's alpha personality, and his need to control everything, this doesn't jive. By the time things progressed to them having phone sex and talking about being together on the outside, one would imagine he would want more to go on than a 'description'. This is the woman he was planning to marry and be the mother of his children.
I actually liked Mia. I understood her desire to help Aaron, that she was impressed with his intelligence and the fact that he was opening up to her, but at times I just couldn't with her. Her admitting to her parents that she was in love with, and standing by, a currently incarcerated White Nationalist, WHO DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS BLACK, was too stupid for color television. Like seriously, I couldn't. I do agree with her that they had come into each other's lives for a reason. I just wish she wasn't so dingy about it.
Stylewise, there's a lot to love in this book. The humor is amazing. There were so many times I was snorting or laughing out loud. The dialogue is great. Some of the prose is a little preachy, but I think that was partially due to the author trying to incorporate her extensive research into the story. This author's writing style can be a bit dense/wordy/'more convoluted than it needs to be' sometimes anyway, and while some of it is beautifully poetic, at times it feels like it's trying too hard. Thankfully that was minimal in this book and most of it was easygoing and clear. I skipped all the poetry, sorry. I also skimmed most of the stuff with Mia's friend/cousin? and the stuff with her class. I was too anxious to get back to Aaron and Mia. It took almost 25% of the book for them to even start communicating in the first place.
What really made this book for me was Aaron, everything about him. He was an extremely complex character and the author did a masterful job getting us to empathize with him through the exploration of his background, his dissatisfaction with his former relationship, and his desire to be a good father to his daughter. I get goosebumps thinking of the mental sparring between Aaron and Dr. Owens. It is that good. Actually, to be honest, the sessions with Dr. Owens interested me more than a lot of the stuff with Mia. Thankfully, I didn't allow my first impression of Aaron, in his 'A Word from Our Hero' intro to cloud my judgment. It's not that he came off as an a-hole, which he did, but I'm guessing that was the author's intent. It's that first person narration of how 'bad' and 'important' a character is always fails to impress me and always leaves me feeling like 'People think you're a God; man, go have a seat'. Really, I should have skipped that entire note and just delved right into the story. Two others friends currently reading the book expressed the same sentiment. It does nothing for him; you get to experience his growth well enough in the story itself.
Storywise, things were going great until 96%. Aaron's meltdown over Mia's name switch didn't make sense. The names were too close in similarity to warrant such a violent reaction (ETA: this is later explained in Book 2 but at the end of Book 1 doesn't work). One could easily have been a nickname for the other. Mia's subsequent reaction, because she was so in love, had me rolling my eyes. I skimmed most of that after that twist.
So! Final answer - this is a well researched, totally enjoyable book about a White Supremacist who falls in love with, who he thinks, is a white penpal. The author does the hero proud, and his journey into himself is brilliantly done. The book is not without its flaws, but they are not enough to detract from a solid 4 star rating. Editing is well done. There were only a few errors, nothing to write home about. The ending is some kind of weird 'not quite a cliffhanger', but I am off to book 2! See you on the other side.
May 31, 2019
I don't know how to review this. It kept me up. I didn't think I would love it, but I assumed from reading the other reviews that I would be cool with the story. It was still hard for me to digest, but I love that the story was written.
It was a ballsy move and difficult topic to handle on so many layers. . .even when it came to the symbolism with the criminal justice system. I finished feeling okay about the story.
While I don't think I'll be reading any more in the Race to Redemption series, but I damn sure will read another book by this author.
It was a ballsy move and difficult topic to handle on so many layers. . .even when it came to the symbolism with the criminal justice system. I finished feeling okay about the story.
While I don't think I'll be reading any more in the Race to Redemption series, but I damn sure will read another book by this author.
September 5, 2021
This book was a nonsense. The shame of actually having read it finally wore off and now (after like 2 years) I can finally review it. The premise itself was - as with any book one would elect to read - intriguing (absurd, but intriguing) who doesn't love the idea that love can conquer all and whatnot? It's pretty much a staple in the romance genre, and for good reason. Redemption arcs are CATNIP for everyone. If you say otherwise, you're a dirty liar with bad breath. The issue here is that the redemption was very much giving: "he's hot/'alpha'" And b*tches love that, so he doesn't really have to do much of the REPENTING aspect of the redemption arc. Which is CRUCIAL. Ok, look me in the eye *snatches your face* Look. At. Me. The redemption arc is ONLY effective if we as the audience FEEL the person is worthy of redemption, that includes a LOT more introspection than we get here, furthermore his motivations for no longer MURDERING, ASSAULTING and DEHUMANISING black people is that the one he's talking to was hot. And she's light-skinned so you know, it's not TOO jarring for him to see her as a person, if her complexion is closer to his. What in the white world of WASP and wizardry be dis? People think they can create inherently hideous male characters and then cure them with the love of a good woman like TADAA! P*SSY FAIRY TO THE RESCUE. Which not only perpetuates the nonsense idea that women must take on the responsibility of parenting some unwashed street urchin, who probably doesn't moisturise because it's "gay" and put all her physical and emotional labour into fixing his rusty ass, so he can finally exist as a well-adjusted member of society and stop making us all feel sick. BUT it's also mad boring to read. It's not EVERY DAMN DAY. The same story is regurgitated into my eyeballs except this time it's got carrots in it instead of parsnips. Stop hurting me. The character has to have SOME redeeming qualities and we have to see glimmers of them throughout the story (think Zuko of A:TLA fame) there has to be some aspect of me that is ROOTING for you, irrespective of your more dominantly expressed garbage maneuvers. Here, there was very little of that except maybe when he mentions that he doesn't mindlessly attack black people unless they instigate it, but again he still hates them, or that he's felt attracted to black women before...Chile what is this? YOU AREN'T SPECIAL. Not attacking unless provoked is NORMAL. Finding black women attractive IS NORMAL. If someone is hot they're hot IRRESPECTIVE OF ETHNICITY.
Oh there's a scene where they meet in person for the first time for some psychiatrist mandated conjugal visit of sorts (WHOSE PSYCHIATRIST IS THIS?? Hang this man immediately) And they bang. Aforementioned psychiatrist blithely wonders if he should check if this dude maybe...I dunno, MERKED this chick because she's black and he's a freaking KKK member! And when he hears the grunting or whatever undignified nonsense he hears in there, he starts crying tears of happy astonishment? Because ya girl cured his racism? With her chooch??
...Bruh behave yourself.
Don't get me started on the fake science, the unnecessary pop-culture references and the MYRIAD of metaphors.
After reading this I felt so SICK for having spent my hard-earned cash on such an atrocity that I returned it. Shout-out Amazon for allowing e-book returns because I was ready to call the church.
Oh there's a scene where they meet in person for the first time for some psychiatrist mandated conjugal visit of sorts (WHOSE PSYCHIATRIST IS THIS?? Hang this man immediately) And they bang. Aforementioned psychiatrist blithely wonders if he should check if this dude maybe...I dunno, MERKED this chick because she's black and he's a freaking KKK member! And when he hears the grunting or whatever undignified nonsense he hears in there, he starts crying tears of happy astonishment? Because ya girl cured his racism? With her chooch??
...Bruh behave yourself.
Don't get me started on the fake science, the unnecessary pop-culture references and the MYRIAD of metaphors.
After reading this I felt so SICK for having spent my hard-earned cash on such an atrocity that I returned it. Shout-out Amazon for allowing e-book returns because I was ready to call the church.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2015
The N Word is a very well written, thought-provoking book about racism, love, and redemption. This is a very timely topic considering the state of race relations today. Based off of the title alone it might inspire a WTF reaction from some. I'll admit, that was my automatic reaction to seeing this book, but I'm eternally curious and open to giving most things a try as long as it doesn't come off as a fetish or intentionally derogatory. That said I plunged in with an open mind and gave it a try. The main character, Aaron, is offensive and a thoroughly unapologetic racist. You certainly wonder how the author thinks she can pull off an interracial love story with this guy. Well, I urge you to look past any discomfort that you may have and give The N Word a try. While I won't give a full review here (it is really just one book split into two) I will recommend it. No matter how you ultimately end up feeling about Aaron or Mia (the heroine), you won't be disappointed at how well The N Word is written. This is well thought out storytelling and I'm very impressed.
I'll combine my full thoughts on this book with my review of Word of Honor, which is the second half of the story.
I'll combine my full thoughts on this book with my review of Word of Honor, which is the second half of the story.
August 12, 2015
APB Perspective Reviews :
I wasn't sure what to expect when I read this book,but I trust the author so I knew she would thoroughly explained. I knew that would understand how this could be a love story , and she did not disappoint me . In The N word we get to know why Aaron became the man he was , I must say I was not rooting for him but I read his story to understand who he was, and I could see how he could fall in love with a woman he considered his enemy . I like that the author told the story through Aaron's therapy sessions it allowed me to watch him grow into the person he was and open to the Aaron mind to the possibility he was wrong. At the end of this book I was invested in Aaron and Mia I wanted to see what would happen next, lucky for me the author published two books together.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I read this book,but I trust the author so I knew she would thoroughly explained. I knew that would understand how this could be a love story , and she did not disappoint me . In The N word we get to know why Aaron became the man he was , I must say I was not rooting for him but I read his story to understand who he was, and I could see how he could fall in love with a woman he considered his enemy . I like that the author told the story through Aaron's therapy sessions it allowed me to watch him grow into the person he was and open to the Aaron mind to the possibility he was wrong. At the end of this book I was invested in Aaron and Mia I wanted to see what would happen next, lucky for me the author published two books together.
September 4, 2022
This book in "FIYA"! YASSSS HUNTY!
I first read this as a short story. I am sooooo glad Ms. Laveen decided to make this into a full length novel. I love the characters Mia and Aaron. They are complex. Mia is, on the surface, a good girl. But, she has the duality that attracts her to the dark and tumultuous. Aaron starts out as the guy full of hate, yet confident in his stance. Slowly, through the visit's to Dr. Owens, he starts to question himself. I'm glad Aaron does question his doctrine. He begins, with Mia's help, to see things a bit differently. Then a BOMB drops! He finds out that his new love has been deceptive in the worse way! I can't wait to see what happens next in Word of Honor!
My Favorite quotes:
"He wished to meet a woman who had no damn idea who the f%#k he was—and for her to be with him simply because she enjoyed his company, found him to be the type of man she desired in her life, and they shared similar interests and beliefs." "He wanted an old-fashioned woman with a beautiful mind, a lovely face, sexy physique, and a heart made of all that was pure and right with the universe."
"People who thrive off negativity will eventually turn on each other, in order to derive that same sense of superiority and security if the source of their animosity is removed."
The WORDS MAN, The WORDS!
I first read this as a short story. I am sooooo glad Ms. Laveen decided to make this into a full length novel. I love the characters Mia and Aaron. They are complex. Mia is, on the surface, a good girl. But, she has the duality that attracts her to the dark and tumultuous. Aaron starts out as the guy full of hate, yet confident in his stance. Slowly, through the visit's to Dr. Owens, he starts to question himself. I'm glad Aaron does question his doctrine. He begins, with Mia's help, to see things a bit differently. Then a BOMB drops! He finds out that his new love has been deceptive in the worse way! I can't wait to see what happens next in Word of Honor!
My Favorite quotes:
"He wished to meet a woman who had no damn idea who the f%#k he was—and for her to be with him simply because she enjoyed his company, found him to be the type of man she desired in her life, and they shared similar interests and beliefs." "He wanted an old-fashioned woman with a beautiful mind, a lovely face, sexy physique, and a heart made of all that was pure and right with the universe."
"People who thrive off negativity will eventually turn on each other, in order to derive that same sense of superiority and security if the source of their animosity is removed."
The WORDS MAN, The WORDS!
August 18, 2015
It is always harder for me to review books where I don't particularly like the characters, the story in general made me angry and I do not totally understand what audience the author is trying to reach. I cannot say it was bad writing because for me to have those feelings and practically yelling at times means that the author's writing got to me.
Granted I almost DNF'd early on with the introduction of Aaron's manifesto, I went on because I wanted to see how the romance played out. There is a lot of extra words and scenarios in the book that I just couldn't figure out the point of. I assume the author was trying to give us background of Mia and Aaron but I think it could have been done in a more concise way. I found myself skimming through some of those parts and wanting more interaction between Aaron and Mia.
The author does portray the whole Mia/Aaron story well. When I think of a woman falling in love with someone in prison, then Mia is who I would think of...someone that's caring, wants to help people, is lonely and doesn't want to answer to any of her friends and family. Aaron was who I would think of being in the leadership of a white supremacist group. Very stereotypical in that respect and it made me tired. There is nothing really wrong with that angle, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I had to remember that this was a book. Mia's naivete, Aaron's arrogance, both of their ignorance all came across on the pages. Some parts took suspension of belief but that's ok. It's fiction.
Overall, the book was good. It annoyed me, made me laugh at the ridiculousness sometimes and I had to skim through some parts but it kept me reading until the end. I am going to go on to Book 2.
Granted I almost DNF'd early on with the introduction of Aaron's manifesto, I went on because I wanted to see how the romance played out. There is a lot of extra words and scenarios in the book that I just couldn't figure out the point of. I assume the author was trying to give us background of Mia and Aaron but I think it could have been done in a more concise way. I found myself skimming through some of those parts and wanting more interaction between Aaron and Mia.
The author does portray the whole Mia/Aaron story well. When I think of a woman falling in love with someone in prison, then Mia is who I would think of...someone that's caring, wants to help people, is lonely and doesn't want to answer to any of her friends and family. Aaron was who I would think of being in the leadership of a white supremacist group. Very stereotypical in that respect and it made me tired. There is nothing really wrong with that angle, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I had to remember that this was a book. Mia's naivete, Aaron's arrogance, both of their ignorance all came across on the pages. Some parts took suspension of belief but that's ok. It's fiction.
Overall, the book was good. It annoyed me, made me laugh at the ridiculousness sometimes and I had to skim through some parts but it kept me reading until the end. I am going to go on to Book 2.
August 15, 2015
She deserve this
November 19, 2022
White nationalism, as in white supremacy is now an acceptable trope in romance novels??? All of you are cracked in the head
October 30, 2015
Gave The N Word a try....
What I loved: The interactions between Doc Owens and Aaron are what kept me coming back. Aaron attempting to confront/address his life choices and decisions was very interesting to read about and I could have read an entire book just on that.
What didn't work for me: Mia - IMHO, she was very one dimensional and was sort of unforgettable. This story didn't feel like a "romance" book at all. It just felt like a man in prison writing a crazy woman who thought it was a good idea to write a prisoner.
Most importantly, this story had great potential..... BUT it felt like the entire book was "trying too hard" to be a great book, instead of just flowing into one.
Thanks Nile, PG and Zandra for supporting me through my reading/skimming of The N Word, but at this time, I just can't finish it!
I may go back and read it at a later time as the subject matter is extremely interesting. Additionally, I will still give this author a try as she seems to write on subjects that are outside of the box.
What I loved: The interactions between Doc Owens and Aaron are what kept me coming back. Aaron attempting to confront/address his life choices and decisions was very interesting to read about and I could have read an entire book just on that.
What didn't work for me: Mia - IMHO, she was very one dimensional and was sort of unforgettable. This story didn't feel like a "romance" book at all. It just felt like a man in prison writing a crazy woman who thought it was a good idea to write a prisoner.
Most importantly, this story had great potential..... BUT it felt like the entire book was "trying too hard" to be a great book, instead of just flowing into one.
Thanks Nile, PG and Zandra for supporting me through my reading/skimming of The N Word, but at this time, I just can't finish it!
I may go back and read it at a later time as the subject matter is extremely interesting. Additionally, I will still give this author a try as she seems to write on subjects that are outside of the box.
January 4, 2016
Compelling
I really like the book,it is unique in so many ways,but is so thought provoking and compelling than you cannot put it down. The Nazi inmate and the African-American teacher,only he doesn't know she is black. He falls in love with her via her letters and phone calls and she him but he has no idea she is black? What a novel concept. I can't wait to read part two.Wonderful! Absolutely loved it!
I really like the book,it is unique in so many ways,but is so thought provoking and compelling than you cannot put it down. The Nazi inmate and the African-American teacher,only he doesn't know she is black. He falls in love with her via her letters and phone calls and she him but he has no idea she is black? What a novel concept. I can't wait to read part two.Wonderful! Absolutely loved it!
June 17, 2024
WHAT EVEN IS THIS BOOK IM DEAD ASS SOBBING RN😭😭😭 EWW
December 23, 2015
This book is my new favorite thing. I of course have to start Word of Honor tonight to see what happens with Aaron and Mia. Can they make it work? This author has created characters as real as you and me. This work is phenomenal. 10000 Stars!! All the stars!!! I will read all of her stuff!
June 11, 2018
Okay, so I’m not pleased. The premise of this book seemed good, and I was looking forward to reading a story about a black woman who showed a racist that he was wrong...what we instead have in this story is a light skinned possibly mixed race woman which shits on the entire premise of the book.
As an outsider, when I look at the average African-American woman, I can definitely tell you that the AVERAGE (note that that does not mean all ) are not as this book described the character.
The heroine was described as the following;
“You look like Paula Patton, only about three shades darker”...Paula is a damn near white passing woman, if the book did not suggest she was a woman of colour, I would not have known after doing a quick google search of who she is.
The book then goes on to describe her hair as “Lustrous blue-black hair hung in loose waves along her shoulders”. Are you kidding me with this? So what happened to curly, kinky and coily hair that the Average (notice again that average does not mean every) African-American who does not permanently straighten their hair or wear extensions have?
Her eye colour is then described as “honey-colored eyes”...no comment.
Now I’m not saying that a black person can’t have light skin or wavy hair, because some do. My issue here is that the Average black American has a beautiful halo of kinks and coils, beautiful rounded/button noses, celestial glowing melanated skin ranging from brown to the darkest midnight. They are the majority. They are the ones who are for the most part targeted by the radical groups.
This author wrote a story surrounding racism particularly against blacks, where the heroine is supposed to make the hero see the light, and the best she could come up with is some near white woman? Why? To make it a more comfortable transition for the supremacist? I don’t understand. I have no issue with African-Americans, dark or light, but a dark woman with features synonymous to the black race would have been a better fit here.
Now before anyone starts on, “WhAt DoEs A bLaCk PeRsOn LoOk LiKe blah blah?” Be realistic, we all know exactly what a black person looks like. When people see a racially ambiguous person, people can’t help but to ask, “What are you?” then when they confirm they are part Asian, or White, or Black, then there is a Eureka moment where you say ahhh, I could tell based on your eye shape, your nose, your mouth, your hair colour or texture...so lets not pretend that people don’t have “a look”.
In addition to that, the hero leaves a bad taste in the mouth, he is just so despicable, I’m not sure how the author will attempt to redeem him, but I’m not sure if he can be fully redeemed in my eyes. He turns my stomach.
This review is not complete as I’ve not finished the book....but so far it’s a strong 0.5 and a weak 1. Perhaps the tides will change as I read on.
As an outsider, when I look at the average African-American woman, I can definitely tell you that the AVERAGE (note that that does not mean all ) are not as this book described the character.
The heroine was described as the following;
“You look like Paula Patton, only about three shades darker”...Paula is a damn near white passing woman, if the book did not suggest she was a woman of colour, I would not have known after doing a quick google search of who she is.
The book then goes on to describe her hair as “Lustrous blue-black hair hung in loose waves along her shoulders”. Are you kidding me with this? So what happened to curly, kinky and coily hair that the Average (notice again that average does not mean every) African-American who does not permanently straighten their hair or wear extensions have?
Her eye colour is then described as “honey-colored eyes”...no comment.
Now I’m not saying that a black person can’t have light skin or wavy hair, because some do. My issue here is that the Average black American has a beautiful halo of kinks and coils, beautiful rounded/button noses, celestial glowing melanated skin ranging from brown to the darkest midnight. They are the majority. They are the ones who are for the most part targeted by the radical groups.
This author wrote a story surrounding racism particularly against blacks, where the heroine is supposed to make the hero see the light, and the best she could come up with is some near white woman? Why? To make it a more comfortable transition for the supremacist? I don’t understand. I have no issue with African-Americans, dark or light, but a dark woman with features synonymous to the black race would have been a better fit here.
Now before anyone starts on, “WhAt DoEs A bLaCk PeRsOn LoOk LiKe blah blah?” Be realistic, we all know exactly what a black person looks like. When people see a racially ambiguous person, people can’t help but to ask, “What are you?” then when they confirm they are part Asian, or White, or Black, then there is a Eureka moment where you say ahhh, I could tell based on your eye shape, your nose, your mouth, your hair colour or texture...so lets not pretend that people don’t have “a look”.
In addition to that, the hero leaves a bad taste in the mouth, he is just so despicable, I’m not sure how the author will attempt to redeem him, but I’m not sure if he can be fully redeemed in my eyes. He turns my stomach.
This review is not complete as I’ve not finished the book....but so far it’s a strong 0.5 and a weak 1. Perhaps the tides will change as I read on.
August 10, 2015
Spectacular!!
Tiana Laveen has done it again y'all!! STUPENDOUS! SPECTACULAR! AWESOME! Every positive adjective I can think of, this book is and then some!!
Mia and Aaron are kindred spirits with one MAJOR difference; their race. Mia is black and Aaron is a white nationalist. Talk about the sh*t hitting the fan when Aaron found out!
How did he not know you ask? Because Aaron is incarcerated and Mia is his pen pal. I loved how they fell in love over letters; they got to know each other's soul by pouring out their innermost feelings....so beautifully written by this phenomenal author.
Run....don't walk, skip or hop....Run now and buy this book!!!
Tiana Laveen has done it again y'all!! STUPENDOUS! SPECTACULAR! AWESOME! Every positive adjective I can think of, this book is and then some!!
Mia and Aaron are kindred spirits with one MAJOR difference; their race. Mia is black and Aaron is a white nationalist. Talk about the sh*t hitting the fan when Aaron found out!
How did he not know you ask? Because Aaron is incarcerated and Mia is his pen pal. I loved how they fell in love over letters; they got to know each other's soul by pouring out their innermost feelings....so beautifully written by this phenomenal author.
Run....don't walk, skip or hop....Run now and buy this book!!!
August 19, 2015
Wow! Just ... Wow! I am absolutely amazed at how well written this book was. In my opinion, it was a well written book with fantastic timing, thought-provoking social commentary, and a budding romance that can only be described as a slow burn. When Ms. LaVeen is on point, she is definitely on point.
Giving this captivating read: 5 humongous stars...
Giving this captivating read: 5 humongous stars...
September 11, 2015
This book has alot of unnecessary information and too much monologue that did help the story at all it was repetitive with no clear answers. I enjoyed watching Aaron transformation and kept waiting for something monumental but it didn't happen for me...I also felt that Mia was shady from the beginning and did not add any depth to her good girl qualities at all and was basically a hypocrite...no I will not be reading book 2
August 19, 2015
I should have known from the title that I would not like this book, but I gave it a try based on previous reviews. I tried, but I could not finish this book. The premise, White nationalist and Black woman, sounded like a winner, but the author's writing style irked me. It was too wordy and too preachy for my personal taste.
August 17, 2015
Still processing my thoughts on this book. Extremely interesting and unique, though very far-fetched, premise for a romantic entanglement. There were a lot of cringe-worthy moments in which I had to completely suspend all remnants of reality but...the book was well-written and definitely not instalove. More commentary soon.
October 19, 2015
too gritty for me in the beginning. It may redeem itself -- i.e., Aaron may redeem himself-- but i couldn't wade through all the hate and ugliness. just could not dredge up enough sympathy for him, he's such a dick at the beginning. Not just to people of color but to women and almost anybody else too.
Read
April 22, 2022At this point, I'm gonna start publishing my old fanfics if stuff like this gets the greenlight. What the actual f*ck.
Read
July 2, 2022This is vile. Stop writing "Romance" books with Black women falling for Nazis. There's no two sides. I'm not convinced the author is Black but if they are GET THERAPY.
March 4, 2025
Someone sent me a reel about this book to make fun of how fucking stupid its premise sounded. I googled it to see if there was any sort of context to this (not that context can make whatever the fuck you'd call this genre of literature better) and decided against Ang's better judgement to read it for shits and giggles. And I realize this type of thing is a kink that gets some people off but even putting the Nazi stuff aside, this is genuinely just such a poorly executed book.
First off, typos. This book has a lot of typos. That doesn't necessarily take away from the quality of the story (if anything, it just distracts) but it was a bit jutting to see so many misused homophones. Second of all, writing style. This story seemed written by someone who thinks themselves as this super complex, cerebral person that no one can understand when in reality they're just talking to hear the sound of their own voice. There's paragraphs and paragraphs of internal monologues which, don't get me wrong, can be a treat. I love internal monologues because they give you the chance to get to know a character in a really intimate way. But these monologues have so many words yet say absolutely nothing of substance. Just words. So many words. On and on and on getting to the exact same surface-level analytic point on class inequality. And seeing these topics be discussed within a story written as if a 150k Drarry Wattpad fic was such a jutting feeling. That part in the last few pages where he writes "Black... Black... Black..." with the font size getting progressively larger was corny as fuck, oh my gosh. If you're going to write degenerate literature, the least you can do is not write like a middle schooler playing with Microsoft Word functions.
Exhibit A:
Mia's character somehow pissed me off more than Aaron's. Nothing about her felt real, like an actual character. And it's not her falling in love with Aaron that threw me off (at first), loneliness can affect a person and she hadn't known who he was. I get that. But tell me why her and her entire family tree were written like a white man whose only black friend is Aunt Jemima was asked to share how he think black people talk to themselves for 10$. The references were delivered so robotically that you'd never known a black woman was behind the screen writing this book. What do you mean a SISTER WROTE THIS? Dear god.
But Mia was just impossible to sympathize with. She changed her keys after her family told her not to be with an incarcerated white supremacist Nazi leader that loved her but didn't know she was Black? How stupid do you have to be? She was telling her father she was smart but no smart individual would think the power of love can fix and absolve Nazism in a man who isn't just a white supremacist in name, he's one of the leaders of the whole movement. And that's not to say a character can't make bad decisions. Sure, she's head over heels and not thinking straight. But her thought process was presented so poorly that we just skipped right into her getting turned on by her white chocolate lover's voice over the phone. The author's romanticization of this was just gross and depraved. The premise itself is beyond saving in my opinion, but the author decided to take the absolute worst angle in 'redeeming' Aaron. How do you even conceptualize this? Writing truly is not for everyone lord have mercy
I could go on and on about how awful this book is, but honestly? This is already more than this deserves. Author, you need to get your own Dr. Owens. I get that race play and master/slave dynamics are a thing but this book isn't written in a kink fulfillment kind of way: you have to be genuinely unwell and believe the things you're writing to execute it in this way. And to have the guts to use fetish literature to speak to racial inequality and societal issues is mentally depraved. Rarely do I ever hate an author for their writings (even if i hate a book, the author loved it enough to publish and for that i can't hate them) but you're a black woman putting this kind of half-wit dark romance wannabe story out there. Insane. Also, the N word being "New"? OH BROTHER
First off, typos. This book has a lot of typos. That doesn't necessarily take away from the quality of the story (if anything, it just distracts) but it was a bit jutting to see so many misused homophones. Second of all, writing style. This story seemed written by someone who thinks themselves as this super complex, cerebral person that no one can understand when in reality they're just talking to hear the sound of their own voice. There's paragraphs and paragraphs of internal monologues which, don't get me wrong, can be a treat. I love internal monologues because they give you the chance to get to know a character in a really intimate way. But these monologues have so many words yet say absolutely nothing of substance. Just words. So many words. On and on and on getting to the exact same surface-level analytic point on class inequality. And seeing these topics be discussed within a story written as if a 150k Drarry Wattpad fic was such a jutting feeling. That part in the last few pages where he writes "Black... Black... Black..." with the font size getting progressively larger was corny as fuck, oh my gosh. If you're going to write degenerate literature, the least you can do is not write like a middle schooler playing with Microsoft Word functions.
Exhibit A:
Mia... your name is Mia... It's not Melissa. It's Mia... M.I.A. - Missing. In. Action, Who are you, Mia? You're missing... or maybe I'm just missing YOU...what the fuck does this even mean are you kidding me
Mia's character somehow pissed me off more than Aaron's. Nothing about her felt real, like an actual character. And it's not her falling in love with Aaron that threw me off (at first), loneliness can affect a person and she hadn't known who he was. I get that. But tell me why her and her entire family tree were written like a white man whose only black friend is Aunt Jemima was asked to share how he think black people talk to themselves for 10$. The references were delivered so robotically that you'd never known a black woman was behind the screen writing this book. What do you mean a SISTER WROTE THIS? Dear god.
But Mia was just impossible to sympathize with. She changed her keys after her family told her not to be with an incarcerated white supremacist Nazi leader that loved her but didn't know she was Black? How stupid do you have to be? She was telling her father she was smart but no smart individual would think the power of love can fix and absolve Nazism in a man who isn't just a white supremacist in name, he's one of the leaders of the whole movement. And that's not to say a character can't make bad decisions. Sure, she's head over heels and not thinking straight. But her thought process was presented so poorly that we just skipped right into her getting turned on by her white chocolate lover's voice over the phone. The author's romanticization of this was just gross and depraved. The premise itself is beyond saving in my opinion, but the author decided to take the absolute worst angle in 'redeeming' Aaron. How do you even conceptualize this? Writing truly is not for everyone lord have mercy
I could go on and on about how awful this book is, but honestly? This is already more than this deserves. Author, you need to get your own Dr. Owens. I get that race play and master/slave dynamics are a thing but this book isn't written in a kink fulfillment kind of way: you have to be genuinely unwell and believe the things you're writing to execute it in this way. And to have the guts to use fetish literature to speak to racial inequality and societal issues is mentally depraved. Rarely do I ever hate an author for their writings (even if i hate a book, the author loved it enough to publish and for that i can't hate them) but you're a black woman putting this kind of half-wit dark romance wannabe story out there. Insane. Also, the N word being "New"? OH BROTHER
June 27, 2022
Just one of my best reads in a long time.
Mia is a wonderful woman, but it is Aaron Pike that I wanted to decipher.
OK, I didn't know what to expect from this book. I imagined a lot, but not that Aaron Pike was so faithful to his ideals. I thought the author would romanticize the story to be 'acceptable' to readers. However Aaron is what he is without remorse! Mrs. Laveen thank you so much for keeping Aaron true to his beliefs and principles, thank you for getting us inside his mind. Thanks. I highly recommend this read. Reading that makes you uncomfortable at times, uncomfortable because I am what Aaron idealizes, the Aryan race. It left me heartbroken for the millions of Afro-descendants, Latinos, Asians, Jews. Millions of people who die from being a different color and forgetting that we are all human beings. As Tiana Laveen very well wrote in the book 'no child is born racist, a child does not see color, religion.'
Bon, je ne savais pas à quoi m'attendre avec ce livre. J'imaginais beaucoup de choses, mais pas qu'Aaron Pike était si fidèle à ses idéaux. Je pensais que l'auteur idéaliserait l'histoire pour qu'elle soit "acceptable" par les lecteurs. Pourtant Aaron est ce qu'il est sans remords ! Mme. Laveen merci d'avoir gardé Aaron fidèle à ces croyances et principes, merci de nous avoir fait entrer dans son esprit. Merci. Je recommande vivement cette lecture. Une lecture qui vous met parfois mal à l'aise, mal à l'aise parce que je suis ce qu'Aaron idéalise, la race aryenne. Cela m'a brisé le cœur pour les millions d'Afro-descendants, Latinos, Asiatiques, Juifs. Des millions de personnes qui meurent juste parce-que ils ont une couleur différente. Alors que nous sommes tous des êtres humains. Comme Tiana Laveen l'a très bien écrit dans le livre "aucun enfant ne naît raciste, un enfant ne voit pas la couleur, la religion".
OK, não sabia o que esperar deste livro. Imaginei muita coisa, mas não que Aaron Pike fosse tão fiel a seus ideais. Achei que a autora iria romsntizar a história para ser 'aceitável' para as leitoras. No entanto Aaron é o que é sem remorso! Sra. Laveen muito obrigada por manter Aaron fiel a suas crenças e princípios, obrigada de nos fazer entrar dentro da mente dele. Obrigada. Super indico esta leitura. Leitura que te deixa desconfortável muitas vezes, desconfortável por eu ser o que Aaron idealiza, a raça ariana. Me deixou de coração apertado pelos milhões de afro-descendentes, latinos, asiáticos, judeus. Milhões de pessoas que morrem por serem de uma cor diferente e esquecendo que somos todos seres humanos. Como Tiana Laveen muito bem escreveu no livro ' nenhuma criança nasce racista, uma criança não vê cor, religião.'
Mia is a wonderful woman, but it is Aaron Pike that I wanted to decipher.
OK, I didn't know what to expect from this book. I imagined a lot, but not that Aaron Pike was so faithful to his ideals. I thought the author would romanticize the story to be 'acceptable' to readers. However Aaron is what he is without remorse! Mrs. Laveen thank you so much for keeping Aaron true to his beliefs and principles, thank you for getting us inside his mind. Thanks. I highly recommend this read. Reading that makes you uncomfortable at times, uncomfortable because I am what Aaron idealizes, the Aryan race. It left me heartbroken for the millions of Afro-descendants, Latinos, Asians, Jews. Millions of people who die from being a different color and forgetting that we are all human beings. As Tiana Laveen very well wrote in the book 'no child is born racist, a child does not see color, religion.'
Bon, je ne savais pas à quoi m'attendre avec ce livre. J'imaginais beaucoup de choses, mais pas qu'Aaron Pike était si fidèle à ses idéaux. Je pensais que l'auteur idéaliserait l'histoire pour qu'elle soit "acceptable" par les lecteurs. Pourtant Aaron est ce qu'il est sans remords ! Mme. Laveen merci d'avoir gardé Aaron fidèle à ces croyances et principes, merci de nous avoir fait entrer dans son esprit. Merci. Je recommande vivement cette lecture. Une lecture qui vous met parfois mal à l'aise, mal à l'aise parce que je suis ce qu'Aaron idéalise, la race aryenne. Cela m'a brisé le cœur pour les millions d'Afro-descendants, Latinos, Asiatiques, Juifs. Des millions de personnes qui meurent juste parce-que ils ont une couleur différente. Alors que nous sommes tous des êtres humains. Comme Tiana Laveen l'a très bien écrit dans le livre "aucun enfant ne naît raciste, un enfant ne voit pas la couleur, la religion".
OK, não sabia o que esperar deste livro. Imaginei muita coisa, mas não que Aaron Pike fosse tão fiel a seus ideais. Achei que a autora iria romsntizar a história para ser 'aceitável' para as leitoras. No entanto Aaron é o que é sem remorso! Sra. Laveen muito obrigada por manter Aaron fiel a suas crenças e princípios, obrigada de nos fazer entrar dentro da mente dele. Obrigada. Super indico esta leitura. Leitura que te deixa desconfortável muitas vezes, desconfortável por eu ser o que Aaron idealiza, a raça ariana. Me deixou de coração apertado pelos milhões de afro-descendentes, latinos, asiáticos, judeus. Milhões de pessoas que morrem por serem de uma cor diferente e esquecendo que somos todos seres humanos. Como Tiana Laveen muito bem escreveu no livro ' nenhuma criança nasce racista, uma criança não vê cor, religião.'
September 12, 2023
y esto??? x dios, un nazi que se va a golpear a un tipo y a una vieja negra y luego de enamora de ella??? tiene una calificación de 4.2 estrellas, cada vez pierdo más la fe en la humanidad. aparte, el nombre del libro??? me estas jodiendo.
August 15, 2015
What a wonderful remake to the original short story. If you read the original in “Cross Climax 2” you’ll want to read this. It has been completely revamped and expanded. I was a fan of Aaron then, but can I say, I’m really taken with him now. He is whip smart, with a wit that is super quick. He feared very little, except peeking inside his past. The secrets locked there would destroy the average man. He is also a Nazi, a high ranking one. In prison for an assault on a black man, he is an avowed racist with a heart as cold as ice. Even as despicable as his beliefs were, you could sympathize with him because he barely stood a chance given his upbringing. He is damaged and as often hurt people do, he hurt others.
Mia is his polar opposite, an African American school teacher loving life and everyone in it. She comes from a loving, albeit protective family that gave her the stable foundation that she needed to be successful. She works part time at the prison as a teacher and is drafted into aiding with the pen pal program. That’s how the pair meet. Aaron is looking for Mrs. Pike. Mia is looking to reach out to a lost soul at the prison and possible help ease his loneliness in a platonic manner only. When Aaron becomes enamored, even though she’s made her intentions to keep it in the friend zone only, in Aaron’s eyes, all bets are off. He wants Mia.
As always, Ms. Laveen takes us there. No stone is left unturned. She doesn’t sugarcoat the ugly truth as to what her hero is or what he’s done. The language is harsh, real and thought provoking. She throws us in the cramped prison cell with Aaron and into the colorful class room with Mia. She also gives you a peek inside the working mind of the woman who falls for him and her battle within as she deals with the repercussions of being involved with not just an inmate, but one that hates what she is.
This is a series and in order to get Aaron and Mia’s complete story, you need to read both books!!! You will not be disappointed.
Mia is his polar opposite, an African American school teacher loving life and everyone in it. She comes from a loving, albeit protective family that gave her the stable foundation that she needed to be successful. She works part time at the prison as a teacher and is drafted into aiding with the pen pal program. That’s how the pair meet. Aaron is looking for Mrs. Pike. Mia is looking to reach out to a lost soul at the prison and possible help ease his loneliness in a platonic manner only. When Aaron becomes enamored, even though she’s made her intentions to keep it in the friend zone only, in Aaron’s eyes, all bets are off. He wants Mia.
As always, Ms. Laveen takes us there. No stone is left unturned. She doesn’t sugarcoat the ugly truth as to what her hero is or what he’s done. The language is harsh, real and thought provoking. She throws us in the cramped prison cell with Aaron and into the colorful class room with Mia. She also gives you a peek inside the working mind of the woman who falls for him and her battle within as she deals with the repercussions of being involved with not just an inmate, but one that hates what she is.
This is a series and in order to get Aaron and Mia’s complete story, you need to read both books!!! You will not be disappointed.
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