This book was awesome! Red is a world class Witch. A must read!
Is this the same Karen Williams who wrote The People Vs. Cashmere? Dirty to the Grave is so medicore it's scary. This is what I would expect from a first time author with a small amount of talent hidden away that *might* be able to be coaxed out eventually.
Williams had to either have had some severe problems with white people in her life or she's got mental issues with race. You'd be hard-pressed to find one chapter, actually, I don't think it can even be done now that I really think about it, where racism isn't overly played on... and here's the kicker: for NO reason. If the subject of racism could move the plot forward or play up a character fine. But for no reason? Simple to throw it in? Whites and blacks are called every idiotic name in the book and not one relationship between two people of two different races played out without severe racism. White people displayed as punks, as being intimidated by blacks, as hating and abusing blacks. Black people portrayed as hating whites, the list goes on and on. And on and on and on some more.
I was brought to laughter because I couldn't, and still can't, believe Williams would write this. I would think, as an author, the goal, at least one of the goals, would probably be not to limit myself but push myself farther. I would probably have the desire to maybe help change some minds. Williams does nothing with this book. Nothing. It's useless. I'm only giving it the two stars because I finished it and there were parts that flowed. Unless her writing changes she'll never be anything more than an average author who has a handful of readers. What's especially sad is I think the talent is there and I think she could be so much bigger. Then again, if her beliefs on race relations stand where I think they might IMO she doesn't deserve it.
The plot, for the most part, goes absolutely nowhere. Complete standstill. Things happen and then are never mentioned again so the reader has no idea what happened. Some of the characters are completely contradictory.
Probably the "best" (meaning worst) part for me was the main characters. These three women have had everything negative under the sun happen to them. You name it, it happened. Dumped in the garbage as an infant? Check. Raped as a baby? Check. Gang raped? Check. Saw your man murdered? Check. Mother a p.o.s.? Check. Absent Daddy? Check. Mother sold you for crack? Check. Aliens came down and demanded blow jobs while you were transporting a brand new street drug? Check. Well, no, not really, believe it or not that last one didn't really happen. Yet. I'm sure it'll be in Dirty to the Grave 2, which, by the way, I'll be passing on.
Before reading this crap I've recommended Williams to urban fiction readers as well as new readers. That's been taken away from me now. I refuse to lose friends because they're insulted I gave them such garbage.
This is dissappointing to say the very least.
Oh, and for the record, I'm white. And not scared of black people. For the record some more, I'm not so scared of white people either. Or purple people. Orange people with green spots don't scare me either. Let me be honest though, those last two might be a little scary.
I'm not intimidated by black people or any people. So, Miss Karen Williams, that rebukes your little theory that I know is your own which you tried to show (I would say the world but infact the group of readers that this will touch will be about the size of a college and no more I'd bet) people. You can do better. In many ways.
Williams had to either have had some severe problems with white people in her life or she's got mental issues with race. You'd be hard-pressed to find one chapter, actually, I don't think it can even be done now that I really think about it, where racism isn't overly played on... and here's the kicker: for NO reason. If the subject of racism could move the plot forward or play up a character fine. But for no reason? Simple to throw it in? Whites and blacks are called every idiotic name in the book and not one relationship between two people of two different races played out without severe racism. White people displayed as punks, as being intimidated by blacks, as hating and abusing blacks. Black people portrayed as hating whites, the list goes on and on. And on and on and on some more.
I was brought to laughter because I couldn't, and still can't, believe Williams would write this. I would think, as an author, the goal, at least one of the goals, would probably be not to limit myself but push myself farther. I would probably have the desire to maybe help change some minds. Williams does nothing with this book. Nothing. It's useless. I'm only giving it the two stars because I finished it and there were parts that flowed. Unless her writing changes she'll never be anything more than an average author who has a handful of readers. What's especially sad is I think the talent is there and I think she could be so much bigger. Then again, if her beliefs on race relations stand where I think they might IMO she doesn't deserve it.
The plot, for the most part, goes absolutely nowhere. Complete standstill. Things happen and then are never mentioned again so the reader has no idea what happened. Some of the characters are completely contradictory.
Probably the "best" (meaning worst) part for me was the main characters. These three women have had everything negative under the sun happen to them. You name it, it happened. Dumped in the garbage as an infant? Check. Raped as a baby? Check. Gang raped? Check. Saw your man murdered? Check. Mother a p.o.s.? Check. Absent Daddy? Check. Mother sold you for crack? Check. Aliens came down and demanded blow jobs while you were transporting a brand new street drug? Check. Well, no, not really, believe it or not that last one didn't really happen. Yet. I'm sure it'll be in Dirty to the Grave 2, which, by the way, I'll be passing on.
Before reading this crap I've recommended Williams to urban fiction readers as well as new readers. That's been taken away from me now. I refuse to lose friends because they're insulted I gave them such garbage.
This is dissappointing to say the very least.
Oh, and for the record, I'm white. And not scared of black people. For the record some more, I'm not so scared of white people either. Or purple people. Orange people with green spots don't scare me either. Let me be honest though, those last two might be a little scary.
I'm not intimidated by black people or any people. So, Miss Karen Williams, that rebukes your little theory that I know is your own which you tried to show (I would say the world but infact the group of readers that this will touch will be about the size of a college and no more I'd bet) people. You can do better. In many ways.
