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Leslie

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At the historically black Dillard University in the lush city of New Orleans, Leslie Beaudet struggles with a dark secret of power in a world that is pulling her in many different directions. Her friends and family see her in many ways - from a father's deserving princess to a mother's source of pride and strength, from a caring listener to a motivated student - but does anyone know the true Leslie?
When a series of murders befall her New Orleans community and increasingly points in Leslie's direction, her friends and relatives realize they've never really known her at all. Slowly, this complicated young woman emerges. She is terrified of failure, struggling with family secrets, praying for elusive security, and craving the power to change her fate. Her power was hidden from her until now... and it might be too late to stop her.
Omar Tyree delivers another exciting tale filled with irresistible and authentic characters you won't soon forget.

385 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2002

21 people are currently reading
1660 people want to read

About the author

Omar Tyree

104 books924 followers
Omar Tyree, a New York Times best-selling author, a 2001 NAACP Image Award recipient for Outstanding Literature in Fiction, and a 2006 Phillis Wheatley Literary Award winner for Body of Work in Urban Fiction, has published 16 books and has sold nearly 2 million copies worldwide that has generated more than $30 million.
With a degree in Print Journalism from Howard University in 1991, Tyree has been recognized as one of the most renowned contemporary writers in the literary community. He is also an informed and passionate speaker on various community-related and intellectual topics. Now entering the world of feature films, business lectures, and children’s books, Tyree is a tireless creator and visionary of few limitations.
Tyree is a popular speaker on the university and corporate circuits. In his “Equation for Life” lecture, Tyree weaves together a full-proof formula for attaining lifelong success in business, as well as everyday living. Ideal for innovation, corporate sales and marketing teams, one attendee who heard the lecture commented, “Omar Tyree’s Equation for Life speech made me rethink my whole life - it has given me the focus I need.” The success of the speeches over the last 11 years landed Tyree his first nonfiction book deal with John Wiley, the number 1 business publisher in the world. The Equation: Applying the 4 Indisputable Components of Business Success, is being released in early January 2009.
As an author, journalist, performance poet, songwriter, screenwriter,entrepreneur, innovator of various creations, and an energetic and fiery speaker, Tyree is no stranger to the world of contemporary urban influence. Tyree became one of the dominant literary promoters of the 1990s, leading to offers of publishing deals by a number of influential mainstream book publishers. In 1995, he signed a lucrative two-book arrangement with publishing powerhouse Simon & S chuster. A few years later, Tyree signed an undisclosed long-term contract that established him amongst Simon & Schuster’s top authors.
His journey as an entrepreneur began in his early 20s when he started the book publishing company Mar Productions, to release his earliest works of fiction. Tyree’s entrepreneurial ventures have evolved to include the Urban Literacy Project as a nonprofit organization to inspire reading, writing, thinking,visualization, application and financial literacy skills among disadvantaged youth and adults. He has also formed Renaissance Entertainment Group, a partnership with self-made multimillionaire Arthur Wylie, to produce Tyree’s body of fiction novels into feature films.
Tyree’s articles have been published in the Washington Post, Essence, Upscale, Ebony, TheDailyVoice.com and several other publications

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5 stars
1,015 (51%)
4 stars
501 (25%)
3 stars
315 (15%)
2 stars
96 (4%)
1 star
47 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
Profile Image for Jerrika Rhone.
494 reviews49 followers
October 2, 2018
11% Done: It's a really short audio so I'm going to try and suck it up but O.T. does not stand the test of time lol. Ugh

22% Done: Sheesh, cliche much *eye roll*

DNF @ 25%: bruh, I'm good. I'm happy my taste in books has grown.
Profile Image for Ariel.
9 reviews2 followers
July 24, 2015
Aside from Flyy Girl I am not a fan of Omar Tyree's writing. He has decent ideas but he doesn't execute them in a believable way to me.

This book was basically about a girl who discovers the supernatural power of her family and uses it as revenge against people who have done her wrong.

It was clear that the author, Tyree, did not know too much about the Voodoo of which he was writing because the details were very superficial and was neither well-written nor logical. There was hardly explanation of why things were the way they were and the extra characters play no part in the build up of the story. For instance, the fear the housemates had for Leslie was so forced on the reader that it didn't even make sense. She was quiet and mysterious, sure, but the way we were forced their feelings just made for an uncomfortable read when trying to figure out their chemistry. It also makes you question how they each became friends at all. There was no background of the girls' relationship with one another. They come into the story as if the reader already knows whats going and why. He gives us detail of them being the Chocolate Crew, but they don't even have the relationship of a crew of girls who hung out together. They have the relationship of a random "Roommate Needed" ad. He should've done that instead, then their chemistry wouldn't be such a big deal.

The character profiles are just dumb. There's this big family embarrassment but we don't understand why Pierre ran away when his father clearly knows nothing of his role in his sister's 'attack', we as the reader do not know how long he left, if he ever came home, where was he staying? I wouldn't question this if the book was from Leslie's POV but since it's a third person view, we should know some background. We should understand how a boy who ran away and supposedly stayed on the streets for all of his teenage years is still a coward?! Shouldn't he have became a terror or even made a name for himself? It makes no sense. His ending, while very unexpected and I'm guessing the WOW factor in the book also made no sense. How does a boy who has never stuck up for himself, does not dabble in the family voodoo, and even known to himself as being scary have a perfect shot? How does he become Rambo!

Leslie's victims also just makes no sense as to why she kills them or has them killed. The reason were so shallow. So extreme for such trivial crimes. I get she had the weight of the world but we don't even know what her weight was. As readers, we know she baby sat her nieces, she was violated (but she was avenged by her father) and her father left the family. But he was still in her life just not the house. We don't understand the rift between her and her mother. Like why is she so angry with her, and why none of the kids have a relationship with her. If anything, the father left because of Leslie, so in all reality the family should be distancing themselves away from Leslie (yeah yeah yeah although he was protecting her I get it but it makes no sense).

I just don't understand what the author was doing here which is why I don't read a lot of his books. There's way too many things that don't make sense especially the aspect of voodoo, he didn't do too much research.

And that ending was just all over the place for me. There was no evidence Leslie had anything to do with anything, it was all speculation for the most part. It's as if she became a Boogie man legend at the end yet she wasn't even tried yet.

I did like that Omar Tyree tackled an issue of race, poverty and the struggle.
You can tell he was passionate about that plight

I don't want to say this book is stupid but if you're in to detail and things making sense....I WOULD NOT READ IT.

I enjoyed the character of Leslie and probably would have loved it had her character been more developed.

Not a fave but definitely an experience.
Profile Image for FreeFormLady .
84 reviews11 followers
February 3, 2016
I enjoyed reading this book. It was suspenseful, drama filled, & a bit creepy. However, the ending ruined it for me. Being that the book is 13 years old I doubt there will be a part two. After thinking it over I can kind of understand why Tyree left it this way, but I just don't know if it really works for me.
I thought it was one of the better written books by Omar Tyree.
There were a lot of issues addressed in this book such as poverty, colorism (Creole vs. African American), and just general life struggles.
I did like that it took place in New Orleans. I also liked the fact that the main character and her family spoke French. That added a little depth.
Profile Image for Alaina.
335 reviews58 followers
September 22, 2023
i’ve never read a book like this… i think i’d have to read it again to fully get it but i liked it a lot
88 reviews2 followers
August 25, 2019
Why did I finish reading this . . . book? I can't think of anything positive to say about it really. The characters were unpleasant at best, the plot was silly, the constant use of . . . was mind-bogglingly irritating. Seriously, flick open to almost any page and you'll see what I mean:
p.87 Then she coughed . . . and coughed again.
p. 314 And it seems like . . . I can't stop it now.
p.25 She just hated for things to be so damned . . . obvious.

I guess the crux of the story was okay - downtrodden, hard-working girl from the ghetto of New Orleans is fed up with the crap hand she's been dealt so decides to do something about it (once she discovers that she MAY have some voodoo roots and so she MUST be a voodoo priestess). But really, the people she sets out to punish aren't all that evil - a girl who's sleeping with her sister's boyfriend; a boy who has been sleeping with the main character but wants to go back to his girlfriend (the main character's housemate), another student who wants to study Leslie in her documentary. Really? Why not set out to punish someone who's had a more substantial impact on her life? The boss who fired her father perhaps or the remaining culprit who abused Leslie when she was younger? There's just no justification for her actions so it's impossible to sympathize with her. She keeps banging on about "why should I have to put up with this anymore?" - but other than being poor and having to work in order to pay her way through college (whilst helping out her sister with occasional child-care and emotional issues), her current circumstances don't seem as desperate or rock-bottom as many of the other people in the book.

Not only that but how the heck did Leslie ever become "friends" with her three housemates. You don't ever get the feeling that any of them like her, that she likes them, nor that they like each other. And do we really need to know about Yula's studies or Ayanna's aspirations to become a rapper? We get insight into the thoughts of, pretty much, every single character in the book. Do we need it? No. Is it interesting or relevant? Not really!

Finally, my last gripe. How the heck would anyone make a link between Leslie and the deaths that are happening around her? You might think "hmm, a lot of bad luck seems to happen to people loosely connected to her" but you wouldn't persume that she was behind it.

I'm sure I could go on a while longer with my complaints but I'll stop now. In summary . . . not much . . . good.
Profile Image for Angel Clement.
105 reviews3 followers
June 2, 2017
I read this book at 11 years old and it has stuck with me all these years. I could never forget the story of this character and how well written it was, intermingling languages and making sure the reader despite their background could understand it.
Profile Image for Eve A..
5 reviews
September 28, 2012
I loved this book. Everything in this book was accurate. I live 40 minutes from the city of New Orleans. I am of Creole/Jamaican/Native American descent. This should become a movie.
Author 6 books211 followers
May 11, 2015
The story was sad, funny, drama filled and it hit home for me being born in New Orleans. I was hooked from the start and loved it to the end.
6 reviews2 followers
December 6, 2018
I read this book a long time ago. It’s one of my favorites. Omar Tyree really captured the realities of black life, womanhood, manhood, poverty, joy, pain and human desire in the ghetto. He does it from different points of view and each one is so authentic. I never tire of this book.
Profile Image for Sylvia Hester.
Author 3 books24 followers
August 30, 2012
This is one of those books that you enjoy reading over and over again. What more can a person ask for but the mysterious world of New Orleans Voodoo? With the complicated life of college girls. Jealousy, pettiness, want, desire. This is what this book compose of. This is one of my favorite books of all time and deserve never to collect dust on anyone's shelf.
Only thing that is missing is the outcome.. :(
Profile Image for Kim.
148 reviews1 follower
May 15, 2019
I've had this book since 2002, and it was on my book shelf, and after all this time I decided to read it. This was the Omar Tyree book that I've read in a very long time, and it was kind of weird. I was kind of torn by the fact that we really didn't know how the girls became roommates...also there was just way too much mystery to Leslie, and the fact that she got away with all that crap that she got away with...and let's not talk about the killing...but it was still an easy read.
Profile Image for Kevin Allen.
11 reviews12 followers
May 21, 2016
WOW!! is my best description for this book. Leslie is absolutely perfect, the woman. Her situation will stun you. Her life will pull you in and make you dance to her beat. And her actions are just WOW. If you haven't read it, you should.
Profile Image for Daphne.
113 reviews
March 9, 2008
Not really a Omar Tyree fan at all. This book however was GREAT! Leslie is phenomenal! A favorite for sure!
Profile Image for Mo.
11 reviews3 followers
April 20, 2009
Loved this book, I felt like I was in Nawlins. After I read this book, I ran out and bought two more of his books, this was a brilliant novel.
Profile Image for Louise Payne.
Author 15 books48 followers
January 31, 2013
'Leslie' Is my favorite Omar Tyree book.
I could read this book again, and again and again.
Profile Image for Taneka.
720 reviews15 followers
January 7, 2020
"You can work all you wanna work, but if you ain't meant to be rich, you ain't gon be rich."

Growing up in poverty has taken a toll on Leslie Beaudet. Even with the opportunity to make it out of such dire circumstances, she is still drawn back in. And the consequences are harsh.

I hate that she did not have the support that she needed to be successful. Her mother's statement haunted her and followed her through her downward spiral. But all of the actions and what occurred to Leslie was of her own doing. No one told her to go after those people, NO ONE. However understandable the anger that she held was, it was still unwarranted.

Let's talk about the gaps in the story. I still don't know WHY she fell out with her mother. Was it because of her mother's bitterness, or something else? We also don't know why Jean never told Leslie about her grandmother. I mean, I don't blame him. Her mother told her about her paternal grandmother and we see how that turned out. I also don't like the fact that once she found out about her heritage, she became evil. I think Vodou is so misunderstood, and Tyree added to that misinformation by turning her in such a way in this book. Also, the priestess that Latrice visited stated that the warrior was finally her, as if she was needed for something greater, but the ending was nothing great. Also, if Pierre was so great with a gun, why was he so weak when it came to his friends?

Okay story, but I wanted all there to be closure for this character, for whom I didn't not like the character arc.
Profile Image for Monique.
369 reviews22 followers
March 13, 2019
Leslie by Omar Tyree was a good read. It took place in New Orleans. It was about a group of college girls who were roomates from different places/walks of life.

Leslie came from a family who did not have it all. She struggled but did everything that she had to do to succeed in life. In the beginning of the book I Leslie was my favorite character. At the end of Leslie, Leslie had me scared of her. I am not down for all that voodoo stuff which Leslie is all about.

The people that thought she new Leslie did not know who at all. Those who start seeing Leslie in a different matter better watch out. You never know what may happen to you. If you not afraid of a little Voodoo Magic. This is the book for you.

Don't be scared take the ride with Leslie and the Crew. Hopefully you make it to the end safely. I did.
110 reviews
December 4, 2025
I’m just confused. This book was deep and then light hearted. But more than anything it did make me think. You don’t never know when that final straw gonna break the camels back! Leslie was crazy, but were her actions understandable? Man, there’s a lot to think about here. I liked her, I didn’t like her, I felt for her, I wanted her to get caught. Life is messy. But damn…. I like the ending because we already know what happened to her, to her family…. What always happens to black people….and the story was about the journey of how she got there, the discussion of how just subtle changes could have changed the twist and turns. Boy the trauma and drama. I’ll remember this one.
Profile Image for Michelle-lee.
126 reviews1 follower
December 5, 2020
I really wanted to enjoy this book more but it was just too all over the place for me 🤷🏽‍♀️.
I did appreciate the creole tie ins, the bit of suspense and the mention of some really serious issues for example her mother's illness and her sexual assault however it just didnt really click for me. This book had the potential to be something great but I think it fell flat because too many things was brushed over.
Profile Image for Madalyn Myers.
4 reviews1 follower
March 9, 2023
I read Leslie back in 2004 and then I read Leslie again a few weeks ago. I thought the just of the story was good. Leslie could act very cunning and Bossy. She had this mysterious persona about her self that kept people wondering. It took place in Louisiana and touched the topic of Voodoo. I thought that was interesting. French was spoken in the book, that was entertaining. I feel that the book was a good read personally.
Profile Image for Riss Bee.
175 reviews1 follower
June 17, 2025
This my 2nd time reading this book, and even though I liked it the first time., as I’ve aged so has my critical thinking skills. There was no evidence to suggest she did anything, only talk and innuendo. Somethings were missing from this story that could’ve closed certain gaps for me. The story is flowing the police show up, they fight and ol girl end up in jail. Details are missing.

All in all, great idea but it fell short for me. This one is not timeless.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Meka.
82 reviews22 followers
March 25, 2018
Omar Tyree does it again! This book was AMAZING! He included so many details at every turn. There were little to no technical errors in the book. The language of the book was smooth. And the scenes moved from one moment to the next without empty spaces or questions left unanswered. If it wasn't for my hectic lifestyle I wouldn't have put this book down. I won't include any spoilers in this post.
9 reviews
April 10, 2019
This book more different from other books of his this book way more darker and confusing I didn't really like hard to get through but if you into thriller more suspense type of reading I guess this book for you I dont remember a lot not do I want too the book is a lot good luck reading I recommend audio
2 reviews
November 27, 2025
I enjoyed the book overall. The ending was underwhelming for me. It felt like the story just came to a complete halt vs it actually playing out. I enjoyed the second half a lot more than the first as it builds pretty slow, but once we get to the action it’s addicting. Again had to take off a star for the ending.
Profile Image for Prisca.
43 reviews3 followers
February 3, 2019
The book was a little too long winded. The story about a Haitian immigrant family residing in New Orleans seemed great up front. Getting into the book had way too many twists and turns for it to be believable then it ends suddenly. Not a good ending at all.
Profile Image for Ronald Limberry.
Author 1 book16 followers
July 26, 2019
A young and mysterious college student and woman has a dark secret. She's intelligent. She's motivated to succeed no matter what personal challenges attempt to thwart her. She's black. She's beautiful but she's nowhere stupid. Her name is Leslie. Very good book from author Omar Tyree!
Profile Image for Reasybereading.
10 reviews6 followers
May 26, 2021
I just finished reading this again over the weekend and it is still one of my favorite Omar Tyree novels. I always wanted a sequel to see what happened to the characters. I mean we got three books from the Flyy Girl series, I want my Leslie sequel! 🤣🤣🤣
28 reviews1 follower
August 1, 2021
I actually read this one on a C.D. Audio book from the library. It was great. It's actually kind of a mystery or thriller, with a little romance and "street" mentality in it also. Very unique storyline!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews

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