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Own Son
In this stunning novel, Own Son, D.E. Eliot takes you through the lives of a young stubborn couple who discover a very hard truth about being in love while black in America. Through growth, they learn that black love is less about sharing tender kisses and holding hands and more about survival in a mad world full of an evilness raised to hate you. Told through the eyes of Yana, a seventeen-year-old girl, in love with the boy of her dreams, and Keon, a young dreamer who struggles to erase the horrific events of his family’s past. When Yana becomes pregnant with their son, a kaleidoscope of emotions, affections, despair, and hope lead them all to face an uncertain future. Their story exposes you to the joyful sweetness of young love and the bitter sadness that comes along with living in hard times during the 80’s.
This is a love story that arouses the soul of those who sings the blues, where passion and heartache are inevitably intertwined, Eliot has created an amazing cast of characters so alive and overwhelmingly realized that they are forever ingrained into the American spirit.
This is a love story that arouses the soul of those who sings the blues, where passion and heartache are inevitably intertwined, Eliot has created an amazing cast of characters so alive and overwhelmingly realized that they are forever ingrained into the American spirit.
404 pages, Paperback
Published February 2, 2020
3 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
D.E. Eliot
3 books48 followersD.E. Eliot has published several short stories online, including “Betrayed,” “Serial,” and “What Life Did…” He is from Cincinnati, Ohio, but spent a lot of his teenage years in Oakland, California, where he discovered his love for writing. He majored in English at Miami University, Oxford, and every story he writes takes place in his hometown of Cincy.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 1, 2020
With an old school vibe reminiscent of a 90s urban love story, you are quickly pulled in to this novel and the author doesn’t let go until he is handing you a box of Kleenex at the very end.
Very well written without an ounce of disappointment from this reader! Highly recommend.
Very well written without an ounce of disappointment from this reader! Highly recommend.
February 17, 2020
This is another home run for author, D.E. Eliot!! Own Son is a heart wrenching love story, but it is also a story about hate. Hate that attempts to destroy love and lives.. pride and self respect.. This story is about Keon and Yana.. young people in love. They face more tragedy than triumph it seems. They learn that love isn’t an easy street sometimes and that it’s less about romance than they thought from the beginning. This is a roller coaster ride! Eliot is a master of characters! These characters get inside your soul.. you love with them, smile with them, cry with them.. they are real! I recommend this book with 5+ stars! The twists and turns of this novel will leave you breathless!!
February 1, 2020
Well done
A different telling of a family’s history and the implication on future generations. It was also a love story, innocent and pure and tested beyond measure. It was about manhood and fatherhood and all the hoods in between. Own Son was an literary experience that you won’t want to miss.
A different telling of a family’s history and the implication on future generations. It was also a love story, innocent and pure and tested beyond measure. It was about manhood and fatherhood and all the hoods in between. Own Son was an literary experience that you won’t want to miss.
April 25, 2020
OWN SON is superb from beginning to end! Keon and Yana, two young folks in love. Passion, love, anger, heartache all can describe their relationship. The phrase ' I will die for you,' truly is an understatement! Going down, because of your namesake is whats happening here. This book was very hard to put down! This author never fails with his writing! Awesome Book!!!
February 1, 2020
Grab a tissue for this tragic love story and settle in for an emotional jarring ride. Keon and Yana come to life so vividly between the pages of this novel and I wanted to live in their story forever. I really enjoy the rich way the author develops his characters and let’s them take control of the story. There are several sociopolitical things to unpack, but the highlight of the novel is the relationship between the 2 main characters and its impact on their world. Could totally see this being turned into a film and I’m here for it!
February 1, 2020
READ THIS BOOK!
An urban tale of young love, loss, grief and learning to play the hand you're dealt. Own Son is NOT a fairytale. It's a long hard look at real people, real lives and the way our choices impact the lives of those around us. Blessed things can come from cursed people!
An urban tale of young love, loss, grief and learning to play the hand you're dealt. Own Son is NOT a fairytale. It's a long hard look at real people, real lives and the way our choices impact the lives of those around us. Blessed things can come from cursed people!
February 6, 2020
Great Read!!
This book was great! Crazy how life throws you curve balls. So much took place that had me lost of words. This book definitely won’t leave you disappointed.
This book was great! Crazy how life throws you curve balls. So much took place that had me lost of words. This book definitely won’t leave you disappointed.
April 4, 2020
Whew!!!!
This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I was enthralled with the story from the very first page. It grabs at your emotions and kept in there throughout the story.
There were times when I was happy with some of the characters, another time I was on the edge of my seat. The author has done a good job of building up these characters: you either love or hate them.
I highly recommend this book, I guarantee a well written novel that evokes a range of emotions.
This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I was enthralled with the story from the very first page. It grabs at your emotions and kept in there throughout the story.
There were times when I was happy with some of the characters, another time I was on the edge of my seat. The author has done a good job of building up these characters: you either love or hate them.
I highly recommend this book, I guarantee a well written novel that evokes a range of emotions.
February 9, 2020
We meet Keon, a boy who cannot outrun the horribleness of his father's legacy, and Yana, a daughter of a preacher. This is their story. It is a love story, it's bittersweet, it's a Black community story with its successes and hardships. The writing was no frills, but goddamn if I wasn't crying at the end of it. To me it read as a Toni Morrison story with the dial of time moved up to the 80s and 90s. It was great.
February 25, 2020
This is a Best Seller
This book was amazing! The way the author started the story until the end had me at the edge of my seat. I love when authors use words that many don't know the meaning to unless you understand what you are reading or you have to look it up in the dictionary. D.E. Eliot showed his ass off of this novel. Great job!
This book was amazing! The way the author started the story until the end had me at the edge of my seat. I love when authors use words that many don't know the meaning to unless you understand what you are reading or you have to look it up in the dictionary. D.E. Eliot showed his ass off of this novel. Great job!
February 1, 2020
#2 In the record books!
Took me two days to read Own Son. Being a Cincinnati native, I loved the use of the city and surrounding suburbs. This story was well told and eerily relatable. It read as conversational and that's always a plus for me. This story didn't disappoint.
Took me two days to read Own Son. Being a Cincinnati native, I loved the use of the city and surrounding suburbs. This story was well told and eerily relatable. It read as conversational and that's always a plus for me. This story didn't disappoint.
February 4, 2020
I am emotionally spent! Literally still reeling. Own Son is definitely a book that you know right away you’re not putting down until you’re finished. A tragedy from the start; with so much hope, passion, rage, heartache, love and pain. We are all affected by what we experience as children. Some experiences are inherited and some are the result of our own life choices. And sometimes we are literally given two impossible choices.
This book could have been a biography in the sense that it was so raw and real. Although the story had some heartbreaking moments, I was gladdened by the accomplishments of the protagonist’s son in the end. On one hand you finish the book and you think, “I see how someone in that situation could end up like that” (main character). But then you see that tragedy doesn’t have to be a perpetual cycle.
Great book for young men and women alike. Touched on a lot of good topics like self-love, self-respect. Thank you D.E.Eliot for your passion, excellent prose, and another GreatRead!
This book could have been a biography in the sense that it was so raw and real. Although the story had some heartbreaking moments, I was gladdened by the accomplishments of the protagonist’s son in the end. On one hand you finish the book and you think, “I see how someone in that situation could end up like that” (main character). But then you see that tragedy doesn’t have to be a perpetual cycle.
Great book for young men and women alike. Touched on a lot of good topics like self-love, self-respect. Thank you D.E.Eliot for your passion, excellent prose, and another GreatRead!
February 22, 2020
4 1/2 stars
This book embraced the excitement and innocence of first love. I enjoyed how the author also expressed the relationship between family and the church and the struggles of being black in America. Keon underwent so much adversity and even experienced inequality from the justice system just from having his father's surname. This book made me laugh, smile tear up and grin from ear to ear. The heartbreak Keon and Yana experienced was so heartbreaking and the author did such a good job of showing the rise and fall of their relationship with so much emotion. I was so immersed in the story, I didn't see the ending coming. I couldn't put this book down.
This book embraced the excitement and innocence of first love. I enjoyed how the author also expressed the relationship between family and the church and the struggles of being black in America. Keon underwent so much adversity and even experienced inequality from the justice system just from having his father's surname. This book made me laugh, smile tear up and grin from ear to ear. The heartbreak Keon and Yana experienced was so heartbreaking and the author did such a good job of showing the rise and fall of their relationship with so much emotion. I was so immersed in the story, I didn't see the ending coming. I couldn't put this book down.
January 30, 2020
By far my most powerful piece of work. I enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I promise this story will not disappoint.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews