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Dark Child
When poor babies wind up missing, no one seems to care.Urban Brown is a white man who grew up in the dark recesses of the inner city where he was the victim of torment, abuse, abandonment, deception and murder. Urban overcame his horrid past to live a peaceful and prosperous existence in his upper-class community. He has everything a man could ask for: a career, which he loves; a sprawling estate and a drop-dead gorgeous fiancee, Sierra. Then out of the blue, he receives a phone call that changes his life.
Jamillah is Urban's sister, and unlike her brother, she wasn't able to overcome the horrors of her past and turned to drugs to ease the pain. Life on the streets is hard enough, but once a baby comes along, she tries to sell him on the black market. Urban won't hear any of it, and he and Sierra resolve to raise the child as their own. But upon further investigation, Urban realizes that his sister is involved in a dark and sinister scheme to steal black babies from poor girls in small, rural towns and sell them to the highest bidders. As Urban digs deeper and deeper into the kidnapping network, he gets dangerously close to the heart of the matter and is disgusted and disheartened by what he discovers.
"Dark Child" is a chilling story about the untold struggles of the disenfranchised that inspiringly illustrates how one man is not able to turn his back on the problems of his former community -- even though he so desperately wants to leave that troubled place in his past forever.
Jamillah is Urban's sister, and unlike her brother, she wasn't able to overcome the horrors of her past and turned to drugs to ease the pain. Life on the streets is hard enough, but once a baby comes along, she tries to sell him on the black market. Urban won't hear any of it, and he and Sierra resolve to raise the child as their own. But upon further investigation, Urban realizes that his sister is involved in a dark and sinister scheme to steal black babies from poor girls in small, rural towns and sell them to the highest bidders. As Urban digs deeper and deeper into the kidnapping network, he gets dangerously close to the heart of the matter and is disgusted and disheartened by what he discovers.
"Dark Child" is a chilling story about the untold struggles of the disenfranchised that inspiringly illustrates how one man is not able to turn his back on the problems of his former community -- even though he so desperately wants to leave that troubled place in his past forever.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published May 12, 2009
1 person is currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Travis Hunter
27 books73 followersTravis Hunter is an author, songwriter and father. The Hearts of Men was self-published in 2000 by Hunter's own company, Jimrose Publishing House. During the 2000 Book Expo America in Chicago, Hunter handed out copies of his self-published novel, The Hearts of Men and one week later received and offer from Random House's imprint, Strivers Row/ Villard for the re-release of The Hearts of Men. Five more novels followed; Married but Still Looking,Trouble Man, A One Woman Man, Something to Die for and the current release, A Family Sin.
Hunter is a native of Florence, S.C. He was also reared in Philadelphia, Pa. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he attended Clark Atlanta University and subsequently enrolled in Georgia State University where he majored in Psychology.
During his tour of duty in the military, he discovered his interest in music, ultimately writing his first song for a Sony recording artist. Always an avid reader, Hunter parlayed his interest in music into a passion for story-telling that led to his critically acclaimed debut novel.
Hunter lives in a suburb outside of Atlanta with his son Rashaad. He is the founder of the "Hearts of Men Foundation," through which he mentors underprivileged children.
If you'd like to meet Travis Hunter or hear him read from his latest novel, check his schedule to see if he's going to be in a city near you.
"I can only write about what I know," explains Travis Hunter about writing The Hearts of Men. "I've always been interested in what makes some relationships work and others fail, so I observed various relationships. I listened to people's gripes about their spouses and what they were expecting out of their relationships but never took the time out to communicate to their spouse. People love drama, and the things I've encountered in my unofficial research is enough to fill ten novels. My goal is to help others understand men better -- why we do what we do. That goes for males, too. Just because you are over eighteen, doesn't make you a man."
Hunter is a native of Florence, S.C. He was also reared in Philadelphia, Pa. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he attended Clark Atlanta University and subsequently enrolled in Georgia State University where he majored in Psychology.
During his tour of duty in the military, he discovered his interest in music, ultimately writing his first song for a Sony recording artist. Always an avid reader, Hunter parlayed his interest in music into a passion for story-telling that led to his critically acclaimed debut novel.
Hunter lives in a suburb outside of Atlanta with his son Rashaad. He is the founder of the "Hearts of Men Foundation," through which he mentors underprivileged children.
If you'd like to meet Travis Hunter or hear him read from his latest novel, check his schedule to see if he's going to be in a city near you.
"I can only write about what I know," explains Travis Hunter about writing The Hearts of Men. "I've always been interested in what makes some relationships work and others fail, so I observed various relationships. I listened to people's gripes about their spouses and what they were expecting out of their relationships but never took the time out to communicate to their spouse. People love drama, and the things I've encountered in my unofficial research is enough to fill ten novels. My goal is to help others understand men better -- why we do what we do. That goes for males, too. Just because you are over eighteen, doesn't make you a man."
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 25, 2011
Travis Hunter put us into a black market scam, Dark Child, that probably would have went unnoticed had a few people not gotten involved. Jamillah came across some hard times and needed to make some fast money. Things didn't exactly go as planned and Urban had to save the day when things got sloppy.
Dark Child was a great page turner. I loved how the characters were connected. The flow was steady and not once did I get lost in the storyline.
Dark Child was a great page turner. I loved how the characters were connected. The flow was steady and not once did I get lost in the storyline.
January 15, 2019
The novel “Dark Child”, written by Travis Hunter, takes place in Atlanta, Georgia. Urban and Jamillah are two main characters because they are brother & sister. Urban is a white man who grew up in the inner city where he was the victim of abuse, abandonment, and much more. Jamillah is Urban’s little sister and instead of overcoming her past like her brother, she turned to drugs to ease her pain. Jamillah also has a baby she tries to sell to the black market, but Urban takes the child from her to raise him as his own with his fiancée, Sierra. Even though Urban gave up on his sister, he can’t seem to turn his back on her because of how close they used to be. “A perfect life turned upside down with one visit from a loved one!” This quote describes how great Jamillah’s life was until she fell for the star football player at her school. He got her addicted to drugs and that ruined her whole life.
This is a great book to read especially for teenagers. I would recommend this book for ages 16+ because it has a mature content. Some readers may or may not understand or be ready to read this type of book. Other than that, it is great and gives a life story about how it is growing up in the inner city. It shows that depending on the decisions you make in your life you can either make it out on top or hit rock bottom. “Dark Child” gives readers a better understanding of how life is in the inner city and how one decision can alter your life completely.
This is a great book to read especially for teenagers. I would recommend this book for ages 16+ because it has a mature content. Some readers may or may not understand or be ready to read this type of book. Other than that, it is great and gives a life story about how it is growing up in the inner city. It shows that depending on the decisions you make in your life you can either make it out on top or hit rock bottom. “Dark Child” gives readers a better understanding of how life is in the inner city and how one decision can alter your life completely.
March 17, 2011
When Urban Brown was a child, he saw his parents being killed, and he and his sister, Jamillah, were put into foster care. Living in the inner city as a white male and witnessing and enduring horrible things didn’t stop him, he became a wealthy upper classman and is engaged to a gorgeous lady, Sierra.
One phone call from Momma Winnie, his foster mother, turns his life upside down though. Jamillah, who has not been able to overcome the troubles of her childhood, is a drug addict and always getting into trouble that Urban is expected to fix. Urban has had enough, but when he hears that, she has a baby she plans to sell on the black market he jumps out of bed and in search for his sister.
Sierra and Urban decide to raise the baby as their own, however, those who were supposed to buy the baby are trying to kidnap him, and his sister is wanted for questioning by the police and has gone missing. Unsure how to handle the situation himself he calls on Priest, a police officer from his old neighborhood. Together they begin to unravel the truth of a string of kidnapped children from poor black girls to be sold on the black market, and if that were not bad enough someone he loves dearly is behind it all.
Dark Child is a window into the inner city and the troubles that haunt the streets with drugs, kidnapping, robbery, and much more. However, rather than showing those in poverty as wicked brings light to the next to impossible cycle of poverty that they live in. A quick read it keeps you thinking on your toes, yet the reader may not guess the unexpected finish.
One phone call from Momma Winnie, his foster mother, turns his life upside down though. Jamillah, who has not been able to overcome the troubles of her childhood, is a drug addict and always getting into trouble that Urban is expected to fix. Urban has had enough, but when he hears that, she has a baby she plans to sell on the black market he jumps out of bed and in search for his sister.
Sierra and Urban decide to raise the baby as their own, however, those who were supposed to buy the baby are trying to kidnap him, and his sister is wanted for questioning by the police and has gone missing. Unsure how to handle the situation himself he calls on Priest, a police officer from his old neighborhood. Together they begin to unravel the truth of a string of kidnapped children from poor black girls to be sold on the black market, and if that were not bad enough someone he loves dearly is behind it all.
Dark Child is a window into the inner city and the troubles that haunt the streets with drugs, kidnapping, robbery, and much more. However, rather than showing those in poverty as wicked brings light to the next to impossible cycle of poverty that they live in. A quick read it keeps you thinking on your toes, yet the reader may not guess the unexpected finish.
August 22, 2012
The storyline was great. It holds potential for a very good story if some of the characters were flushed out more. I think this book could have used another hundred pages to explain Priest and his arrest of the people associated in the theft ring.
March 19, 2020
This was an OK story in my opinion.
I liked how it highlighted some of the social issues facing the African American Community like drugs, police brutality and black and white relations.
I loved learning about this underground world of illegal adoptions (Selling babies). In terms of the writing style, the Author got straight to the point which i liked because it made it a quick read however I felt that the story needed more action and suspense in some areas, it ended way too quickly. It was a bit of a missed opportunity because if the story had more depth it would have been exceptional.
All in all an ok read. I would like to see what else is out there by this author.
I liked how it highlighted some of the social issues facing the African American Community like drugs, police brutality and black and white relations.
I loved learning about this underground world of illegal adoptions (Selling babies). In terms of the writing style, the Author got straight to the point which i liked because it made it a quick read however I felt that the story needed more action and suspense in some areas, it ended way too quickly. It was a bit of a missed opportunity because if the story had more depth it would have been exceptional.
All in all an ok read. I would like to see what else is out there by this author.
March 17, 2022
This book was very good. I didn't see a lot of the twists and turns coming so that made it even better. The character development was well thought out and crisp. I loved the plot as well.
August 7, 2013
Back in March 2012 The Ladies of Brownstone Book Club read “Dark Child” by Travis Hunter and in our Review/Commentary on a scale 0-10 (Rating of 10 is an Absolute AWESOME read...) we rated it as a 9.5. The book was so emotional.
This is a Awesome Read!
This is a Awesome Read!
October 28, 2010
Loved it!!!
April 14, 2017
Good read
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews