Rising

by Darnella Ford

She should have been able to trust him....

"Night sweats were my dance, especially in the Huston home. They were a continuation of the visions I had experienced in Dorchester, only here, they were much more violent."

Set in a wealthy community in northern Michigan, Rising tells the story of nine-year-old Symone, who is adopted by the Hustons―"a shameless family with a house at the top of the hill"--after her mother dies of a drug overdose. And though Symone is all too happy to leave the Dorchester projects behind, she can't help but wonder why this rich white couple has come to the ghetto to adopt "a black girl who looked white." Soon Symone discovers that the Hustons aren't saviors but instead demons who have delivered her into another kind of hell. She escapes only to return again years later, realizing that she must face the demons of her past if she has any hope of surviving the future.

Rising is an evocative, undeniably potent, and completely unforgettable novel.

Genres: Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2000

About the author

Darnella Ford is a bestselling author known for her ability to craft raw and compelling narratives. She gained recognition as the Best New Voice of 2003 and has written five bestselling novels, including Finding Me, which was nominated for the 2010 Stonewall Literary Award.
In 2006, her life took a transformative turn when she began an intensive three-year study in Quantum Physics, Neuroscience, and Neurobiology under leading physicists. Inspired by these studies and her personal journey, she launched Journey to Worthy in 2008—an initiative aimed at expanding self-awareness and promoting self-worth. Rooted in the principles of quantum science, the program reaches diverse audiences, from inner-city communities and prisons to corporate settings, advocating the message: You are worthy!
A key component of the initiative is Beautiful, a program designed to help teenage girls explore self-esteem and authentic beauty. Ford’s vision is to make the understanding of self-worth as culturally ingrained as modern technology and social media. Dedicated to empowering individuals, she continues her work in pursuit of truth and the realization of human potential.

Reviews

[Diane Whitmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was had a twist on a young adopted girl and others by a wealthy family. It was dark in the way foster homes abuse kids but weird and spooky in a way I didn't expect. You do want her to win, come out truly okay after what she and her adopted siblings have gone through. But the creepy factor felt like I was about to read a horrific Halloween story. I enjoyed that it wasn't the usual predictable abuse story.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a raw gripping story filled with pain, secrets, misguidance, abuse and overall sadness. It was written so well that you just knew Symone would rise up and come out on top, stronger than ever. Yet another tale of a child with a tough childhood, but just when it seemed as though she was being rescued she was delivered into another type of hell, for lack of a better analogy. Oh how those scars did a number on her and how does one overcome the pain when the pain follows you? Just another reminder that there are some very sick people out there that not only prey on those weaker than themselves but won't hesitate to prey on innocent, defenseless, weakened children. This was a compelling story that had some hard parts to read but I saw it through hoping for a happy ending.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book of distorted relationships and agonizing secrets forces its readers to suffer along with its characters. I honestly felt this book tearing me apart as I read. Symone, “a black girl trapped in a while girl’s body”, is torn away from her life at the Dorchester projects when her prostitute mother dies of a drug overdose and she is mysteriously adopted by the rich, white, overpowering Hustons. She later attempts to escape from her life and childhood with them but returns to terrifying memories when she returns for a “family meeting” with her boyfriend, Teek. Disturbing, provocative, poetic, intimate and penetrating, this book is unforgettable.

[Eileen flood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rising was a very good book but i do not recommend it to anyone who is under 14. This book had some very good twists but it was disturbing. I think that it would've been just as good without the sex scenes. It was a little too graphic at times but i like how it was always questioning you.Its about a little half black girl who was raised in a poor neighborhood all her childhood until her mother died and was adopted by am rich high class white family. The adoptive father turns out to be a creep and rapes the main character and her adoptive sisters. they plan to kill him and in the end it has a huge dramatic twist.

[Jodi VanMeter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book could have been really good. The author writes very well....but I feel the book was rushed. I didn't get to connect with the characters because I feel she didn't spend adequate time in one time period. I would have loved to give this book more than 3 stars....

[Kea · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Pretty good, it's worth reading."

[Toshana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crazy

[Ezraela-Baht · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started reading, got to the 5th chapter and had to put it down, it didn't keep me interested in the least, sorry not a good sign.

[Cam · Rating 3 out of 5]

good

[treehugger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disturbing & unforgettable - incest, hate, insanity...

[Allison]

Emotionally difficult to read due to the nature of the topic. However, it was very well written and I couldn't stop reading until I was finished.

[K Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very disturbing story. A bit odd at times.

[Sharonda Quick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved this book!

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a tough read--but very well done... a story of women's pain.