Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Length: 387 pages
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: The Library
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository
My Rating:
Goodreads Synopsis: Mary B. Addison killed a baby. Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: A white baby had died while under the care of a church-going black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it? She wouldn’t say. Mary survived six years in baby jail before being dumped in a group home. The house isn’t really “home”—no place where you fear for your life can be considered a home. Home is Ted, who she meets on assignment at a nursing home. There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but now she’s got Ted—and their unborn child—to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary must find the voice to fight her past. And her fate lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But who really knows the real Mary? In this gritty and haunting debut, Tiffany D. Jackson explores the grey areas in our understanding of justice, family, and truth, and acknowledges the light and darkness alive in all of us.
Allegedly in Three Words: Shocking. Compelling. Somber.
Mary B. Addison killed a baby. Allegedly. This is her story. Readers will immediately be pulled into the depressing reality Mary finds herself in after she is released from prison and living in a group home. While in prison she was mostly on her own, and now she must try and survive the other teen girls living at the group home with very little supervision, and it certainly doesn't help that they think she is a baby killer. Mary is a complex character who is just trying to survive. The author doesn't shy away from describing Mary's horrible living situation and her rough childhood.
This book is dark and gritty and may not be for everyone, but I always enjoy a well-written thrilleresque novel, and Allegedly fit the bill. I was sucked into Mary's story and was desperately reading it late into the night so I could get some answers/closure. I was in for a surprise. I won't go into details because there is a lot going on and I don't want to give away any of the surprises.
The Verdict: Allegedly is a must read. This page-turner will throw you off balance and make you stop and think about many things. I will be reading this author's other works.
Wow, this sounds like a powerful read. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it.
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