Nightcrawling

4.5 starsAnd to think that Leila was 17 years old when she wrote this incredible story. This book left me feeling raw, unsettled and vulnerable.Kiara Johnson is struggling. Her mom is in rehab and her brother is busy recording in a studio hoping to catch a break. She is desperately looking for a job - not only to make ends meet but also to pay for the rent to prevent being evicted. And on top of that, she also has to act as a surrogate mother to 9-year-old Trevor whose mother has - as good as abandoned him. She is only 17. I really can’t say much more than this.Mottley’s prose is simple and straightforward and hence packs a punch. Kiara never gets any break - never. For a 17-year-old, she has seen only disappointment and heartbreaks in her life. And it is written in such a ‘matter of fact' way, it is as if that is what is “normal” for her. The story is brutal and honest and harsh and…real. Right from the beginning of the book, you feel for Kiara. You feel like going inside the book and hugging her and shielding her from the world. For all the ugliness in her life, where anyone could have just given up, Kiara does not. She is not broken. She feels joy and happiness and love. While some characters will make you angry and frustrated and..helpless, a few characters will steal your heart and make you sigh.Mottley has subtly woven the menaces of the society in the book - exploitation, corruption, poverty, social injustice, the tainted justice system, racism that will choke you up and make you feel helpless and vulnerable. She was inspired to write this story based on the actual case of the Oakland PD scandal in 2015. This is by no means an easy read. I would even say it is a dark read. Do read the author’s note at the end of the book. It is short and carries a punch.Raw, powerful and heartbreaking read. I was staggered when I came to know that the author was only 17 when she wrote this incredibly moving story.

Leila Mottley's debut, 'Night Crawling' takes through a raw account of the life of people of Oakland through Kiara's story. Kiara, a seventeen-year-old teenager with an unsettled family, walks through the darkest road of her life. To pay off her rents, Kiara gets herself in prostitution; facing violence, neglect and being judged according to constabulary.'Night Crawling' is an astonishing story of life in Oakland, the people and injustices the majority of people, especially the blacks, go through over there. People are forced to do what not for living. Mottley through her novel, unequivocally highlighted the character of Kiara. I solely found Kiara to be a strong woman who literally cared for homies and didn't even give a second thinking before selling herself each night. I definitely recommend this novel to the fellow readers who wish to know about social issues across the world.

I did not know what I was getting into when I started the book. And, it left me sorta numb. The book had not an ounce of what you would call the genre slice of life, but it definitely was a slice of life. Kiara's life. One that is tangled in wants and wishes, and facing the brutality of what is in store for her.In a world where the road paves way to better things, and few people catch a break, hers is lined with potholes and rising rent, and a hollow flat that is emptier as time flies by.Through Kiara, we are introduced to the neglect the Black community face, on an everyday basis. We see how they are the quick fix solution to problems unanswered, unfairly so even. How they are denied the basic rights, to better living conditions to medical attention even.When people like her are expandable, in a system that is rooted in the belief of power comes with the colour of the skin, there is of course, no better way to live anymore. No-one gets to say or point fingers about the right or wrong of it. No-one is willing to listen even.If you asked me if I loved this book, I cannot give you an answer. How can you love something written of someone else's pain..............

Reading this book is such a visceral experience. Every feeling, word and action felt so close to home. We follow Kiara Johnson who was a child thrown into the night world and left to fend for herself. Kiara was failed not only by the system but also by her family.To support her family but also a 10-year-old, she resorts to sex work. I don't want to go into details about how she was rejected for any other jobs with her being black and underage. She thought of sex work as only a means to get by until she was caught by some police officers. You can already guess how that turned out.When all these kids want to just live their life, they are sexualized for their bodies. They are victimized for wanting to eat and the biggest joke is they are backed into the corner and told that they have a choice. While Kia did what she had to do, I keep asking myself what difference it makes to seek justice and hang on to morality as if she and people like her are what is wrong in this society.I didn't like anyone in this book apart from Kiara, Trevor and Alé. Their bond is what kept the book wholesome. But then again, I read the author's note where Mottley ruminates about how black and brown girls are adultified soon in their lives to cater for men. If this is the case with girls, I don't even want to imagine what it is to be a queer person in a marginalized community.There are two things I sort of expected more from this book. One, I don't particularly like how Kiara's mom was dealt with. It felt incomplete and second, I expected a bit more trial situations and court proceedings but I do understand why the author chose the way she did to write that. With that all said, Mottley, has a great talent for words and how to use them. I will definitely not miss another book from her.

Absolutely fantastic oh my what a debut book, if there’s one thing your all gonna read today is pick up this book

So very different and well described. Refreshing but traumatic. Read it for something different.

Was a fantastic read and well written! Especially as author starting writing just at the age of 17. Was an emotional read and has you wanting to shout out at the main character. With how well written it was I was slightly disappointed with the end as seemed rushed/leaving me with many questions.

What a wonderful voice . Such beauty , pace and urgency . A unique style of telling . Poetic and wise . I couldn’t put this book down until I finished it in one big gulp. A stunning debut novel .

Altough raw and difficult to read at times, I thorougly enjoyed this book. It's written beautifully. So hard to believe the author started writing it when she was 17years.