BOOK REVIEW: Little Peach by Peggy Kern

When Michelle runs away from her drug-addicted mother, she has just enough money to make it to New York City, where she hopes to move in with a friend. But once she arrives at the bustling Port Authority, she is confronted with the terrifying truth: she is alone and out of options. Then she meets Devon, a good-looking, well-dressed guy who emerges from the crowd armed with a kind smile, a place for her to stay, and eyes that seem to understand exactly how she feels. But Devon is not what he seems to be, and soon Michelle finds herself engulfed in the world of child prostitution where he becomes her “Daddy” and she his “Little Peach.” It is a world of impossible choices, where the line between love and abuse, captor and savior, is blurred beyond recognition. 

The saddest part about this book is that stuff like this happens. Girls run away from home for one reason or another and then these men lure them into prostitution and they feel there is no way out. The story of Michelle was so incredibly sad and heartbreaking. It made me sad and it made me angry. I cried throughout most of the book at what Michelle was going through. Michelle is in the hospital after being severely beaten up. The story goes between her experience in the hospital and her history and how she became a prostitute. Michelle's story is so sad because she just wants someone who loves her, someone who wants her. Her own mother kicks her out of the house because she is afraid Michelle will steal her boyfriend. Michelle's grandfather is the one person in the world that she can count on, but then he dies. She leaves for New York City, originally to meet a friend, but she is unable to find this friend. Instead, she finds Devon, a pimp who lures her into prostitution. Michelle is so naive that she doesn't realize what's happening when there is alcohol and drugs and strange men. All she knows is that these men want her and she pretends to enjoy everything so that Devon (or "Daddy," as he is called) won't be disappointed with her. What really made me angry was the way the nurse's treated Michelle while in the hospital. They treated her like she deserved everything she got because she was a prostitute. They just wanted to get her out of the hospital so they could use the bed for "real" patients. I loved the social worker though. She seemed genuinely concerned about her and wanted to help. The ending left a lot open, but I get why the author made the decision she did. Asking for help was the hardest part of Michelle's situation and her story was not going to end there. This was a horrifying story that needed to be told to help people understand what life is like for some of these girls. 

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Buy this one!!