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Baby Daddy
Seventeen-year-old Deshawn Margray’s world is thrown into turmoil when he is named the defendant in a paternity suit following a reckless sexual encounter with a woman he barely knows. He is desperate to conceal his plight from his mother, a single parent with dreams for her son who is struggling to support them both. Torn between fleeing and facing the nightmarish legal process alone, Deshawn tries to navigate his way through a hostile and incomprehensible court system. Crushed by a callous judiciary and a devastating personal loss, Deshawn is finally driven to his breaking point, and a physical confrontation with an insufferable child support collection worker ensues. The altercation serendipitously leads him to an unexpected discovery that permanently alters his life.
110 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 11, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 16, 2012
Baby Daddy is a unique story written in a lyrical voice and a first published book for the author, S. Newman Spenzer. Seventeen-year-old Deshawn Margray’s world is thrown into turmoil when he is named the defendant in a paternity suit following a reckless sexual encounter with a woman he barely knows. He is desperate to conceal his plight from his mother, a single parent with dreams for her son who is struggling to support them both. Torn between fleeing and facing the nightmarish legal process alone, Deshawn tries to navigate his way through a hostile and incomprehensible court system. Crushed by a callous judiciary and a devastating personal loss, Deshawn is finally driven to his breaking point, and a physical confrontation with an insufferable child support collection worker ensues. The altercation serendipitously leads him to an unexpected discovery that permanently alters his life.
At first, I was frustrated reading Baby Daddy. I felt I was stuck in the head of Deshawn and never allowed to venture out into the world of others. It is a story from his viewpoint alone, which is a difficult voice to write. There is no input or thoughts from outside characters. It’s almost as though you are reading a monologue (think Hamlet, but in gangster/hoodlum talk). In the beginning, I seriously debated not finishing the book. But I was intrigued by the story and pushed forward. I’m happy I did.
As I read about Deshawn’s heart-wrenching journey, the words turned into poetry and his thoughts turned into lyrics. Is it perfect prose? By no means, but it is effective. The world from his eyes became my eyes, his struggles became my struggles, his fear became my fear. When he crumbled to the ground in defeated sorrow, my knees crumbled with him.
Spenzer makes it easy to see the confounding process of paternity suites, the maze of courtrooms, constantly changing public defenders, and callous hearts to the plight of pocket-empty fathers. It’s an unusual viewpoint through Deshawn’s eyes as more often, books are written through the mother’s eyes and how the father has “done her wrong.” In this case, Deshawn has no idea what happened until he receives a court demand in the mail. In most ways, he is an upstanding, smart, and gentle young man who made an immature mistake. The price he pays for this “mistake” is soul-bending.
It is a topic I know firsthand as part of my career was spent working in mental health and foster care. You see and hear the horror stories, from both sides of the fence, and it breaks your heart. It also makes you froth in anger. In this sense, Spenzer is “right on” when she describes the punitive justice system for child support/care cases. It’s often assumed that the parent is a deadbeat, when that’s not always the case. Spenzer skillfully illuminates the judgment and preconceived stereotypes that court officials and caseworkers can have towards them. Unfortunately, in this story, she doesn’t offer any virtue for the authority. The story is one-sided since, as I said, it’s all through Deshawn’s view. Sometimes you have to remind yourself that it’s colored by his opinion (although there’s little that I find misjudged, but call me a cynic when it comes to Children & Youth agencies).
The book is not perfection, in writing or style, which is what tends to happen with self-publishing on occasion. There are a handful of editing errors such as grammar, spelling, and formatting. It distracts from the story at times, but overall, I was able to push it aside (while grumbling) as I read. This is for the printed book version. The book is available for Kindle as well, but I didn’t check out that one.
Overall, a good, make-you-think read that lacks some depth, but effective in its telling.
You can read more of my reviews at Kat's Book Reviews (http://www.katsbookreviews.com).
At first, I was frustrated reading Baby Daddy. I felt I was stuck in the head of Deshawn and never allowed to venture out into the world of others. It is a story from his viewpoint alone, which is a difficult voice to write. There is no input or thoughts from outside characters. It’s almost as though you are reading a monologue (think Hamlet, but in gangster/hoodlum talk). In the beginning, I seriously debated not finishing the book. But I was intrigued by the story and pushed forward. I’m happy I did.
As I read about Deshawn’s heart-wrenching journey, the words turned into poetry and his thoughts turned into lyrics. Is it perfect prose? By no means, but it is effective. The world from his eyes became my eyes, his struggles became my struggles, his fear became my fear. When he crumbled to the ground in defeated sorrow, my knees crumbled with him.
Spenzer makes it easy to see the confounding process of paternity suites, the maze of courtrooms, constantly changing public defenders, and callous hearts to the plight of pocket-empty fathers. It’s an unusual viewpoint through Deshawn’s eyes as more often, books are written through the mother’s eyes and how the father has “done her wrong.” In this case, Deshawn has no idea what happened until he receives a court demand in the mail. In most ways, he is an upstanding, smart, and gentle young man who made an immature mistake. The price he pays for this “mistake” is soul-bending.
It is a topic I know firsthand as part of my career was spent working in mental health and foster care. You see and hear the horror stories, from both sides of the fence, and it breaks your heart. It also makes you froth in anger. In this sense, Spenzer is “right on” when she describes the punitive justice system for child support/care cases. It’s often assumed that the parent is a deadbeat, when that’s not always the case. Spenzer skillfully illuminates the judgment and preconceived stereotypes that court officials and caseworkers can have towards them. Unfortunately, in this story, she doesn’t offer any virtue for the authority. The story is one-sided since, as I said, it’s all through Deshawn’s view. Sometimes you have to remind yourself that it’s colored by his opinion (although there’s little that I find misjudged, but call me a cynic when it comes to Children & Youth agencies).
The book is not perfection, in writing or style, which is what tends to happen with self-publishing on occasion. There are a handful of editing errors such as grammar, spelling, and formatting. It distracts from the story at times, but overall, I was able to push it aside (while grumbling) as I read. This is for the printed book version. The book is available for Kindle as well, but I didn’t check out that one.
Overall, a good, make-you-think read that lacks some depth, but effective in its telling.
You can read more of my reviews at Kat's Book Reviews (http://www.katsbookreviews.com).
December 1, 2012
Baby Daddy tells the story of a seventeen year old boy who gets a girl he barely knew pregnant and then finds himself in the child support system. Deshawn tries to hide this from his mother and deal with it on his own, but finds the hole he has dug for himself gets deeper and deeper. When tragedy strikes he is forced to face his responsibility on a level he never expected.
This book was a good description of what goes on within the court system when it comes to child support. This book furthers my belief that the system is not set up to help the child, but only to give the appearance that monies are changing hands on some level.
I must say that I thought this would be a very boring book, filled with complaints from a guy who was trying to duck his responsibilities. Instead it told of Deshawn's journey to fatherhood. I loved that the author wrote this from a teenagers point of view with great success. With each word you could feel the main characters pain.
I didn't like how the book ended. We never find out what happened to Deshawn or his child. The book was also formated strangely and the back of the book was blank. Although I enjoyed the story, the way the book is packaged was a turn off.
With all that being said I gave the book four stars. My ratings are always based on whether I would buy a book. The story was compelling and I would purchase it due to content, but the presentation would probably turn me off.
This book is available in ebook and paperback format by clicking here.
This book was give free for review.
This book was a good description of what goes on within the court system when it comes to child support. This book furthers my belief that the system is not set up to help the child, but only to give the appearance that monies are changing hands on some level.
I must say that I thought this would be a very boring book, filled with complaints from a guy who was trying to duck his responsibilities. Instead it told of Deshawn's journey to fatherhood. I loved that the author wrote this from a teenagers point of view with great success. With each word you could feel the main characters pain.
I didn't like how the book ended. We never find out what happened to Deshawn or his child. The book was also formated strangely and the back of the book was blank. Although I enjoyed the story, the way the book is packaged was a turn off.
With all that being said I gave the book four stars. My ratings are always based on whether I would buy a book. The story was compelling and I would purchase it due to content, but the presentation would probably turn me off.
This book is available in ebook and paperback format by clicking here.
This book was give free for review.
January 19, 2013
Review originally posted at A Date with a Book
I was provided a copy of this book by the author for my honest review.
I was totally taken in by the synopsis of the book and accepted the book for review. The book is a fairly quick read and takes off well. There is a lot of information about family law, the court and legal process, etc. and at times I did feel bogged down with the details. However, overall I enjoyed the story.
I felt the story was limited being told from Deshawn’s point of view. Only hearing about how Deshawn’s mom felt I could be more emotionally involved in the story if I got to hear from her point of view how she felt about things. Even if she didn’t know what was happening to her son.
My favorite character was Deshawn’s boss. I felt he understood Deshawn and tried to help him the best way that he could without getting involved. Another character favorite was the flower shop girl. Very unique and enjoyed her interaction with Deshawn.
Overall I did enjoy the story, I was disappointed with how quickly the story ended. I recommend this book to readers who like drama fiction. Very unique story and a quick read.
I was provided a copy of this book by the author for my honest review.
I was totally taken in by the synopsis of the book and accepted the book for review. The book is a fairly quick read and takes off well. There is a lot of information about family law, the court and legal process, etc. and at times I did feel bogged down with the details. However, overall I enjoyed the story.
I felt the story was limited being told from Deshawn’s point of view. Only hearing about how Deshawn’s mom felt I could be more emotionally involved in the story if I got to hear from her point of view how she felt about things. Even if she didn’t know what was happening to her son.
My favorite character was Deshawn’s boss. I felt he understood Deshawn and tried to help him the best way that he could without getting involved. Another character favorite was the flower shop girl. Very unique and enjoyed her interaction with Deshawn.
Overall I did enjoy the story, I was disappointed with how quickly the story ended. I recommend this book to readers who like drama fiction. Very unique story and a quick read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews