Joseph

Written by Shelia P. Moses

Narrated by Kevin R. Free

Tough because of Mama's addiction to drugs and alcohol. Tough because Daddy is away with the army fighting in Iraq. Tough because it looks like there is no way out once you're living in a homeless shelter in a North Carolina ghetto neighborhood. And tough because Joseph is enrolled at yet another new school where he doesn't know anyone and has to keep what is going on in his life a secret.

Joseph struggles to keep Mama clean and to hold their broken family together while trying to make new friends and join the school tennis team. Can a boy who's only fifteen years old win his daily battle to survive?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jan 4, 2011
• ISBN: 9781423392279

Shelia P. Moses

Poet, author, playwright, and producer Shelia P. Moses was raised the ninth of ten children on Rehobeth Road in Rich Square, North Carolina. She is the coauthor of Dick Gregory’s memoir, Callus on My Soul, as well as the award-winning author of several books for young readers: The Legend of Buddy Bush; The Return of Buddy Bush; I, Dred Scott: A Fictional Slave Narrative Based on the Life and Legal Precedent of Dred Scott; and The Baptism. Shelia lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Reviews for Joseph

[ronneisha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Joseph is a young boy living a crazy life. He lives in a shelter with his mother, while his father is away in Iraq. Joseph's mother is addicted to drugs, and thinks the life she's living is right. Joseph doesn't want to leave his mother because he thinks she will be lonely and no one will be there to take care of her. Everyone wants better for Joseph, but he refuses to leave his mother. This book teaches teenagers that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Things may be going on in someone's household and no one may never know. This book was a great read, and teaches valuable lessons.

[libmhleigh · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Joseph lives in poverty with his drug and alcohol addicted mother while his father fights in Iraq. Now a young teenager, the academically inclined Joseph gets a lucky break when a move takes him to a homeless shelter which is zoned to a privileged school – very unlike his previous educational experiences. Joseph is thrilled to be able to go to school where no one knows about him and his mother and where he sees opportunities all around him. However, there is always a fear that one day he will be unable to look out for his mother any longer.Quote: “Do not sleep with any girl you do not want to be the mother of your child ten years from now.”This is a nice piece of work for young adult fiction in a generic feel good kind of way. The story is a little predictable, the mother is really the child, the child really takes on more adult roles, like trying to keep the family safe and keep his mother from embarrassing him. It is important to tell stories about trying to change the situation you were born into for all ages, but even for the young people the book is geared for it seems to put a very simplistic spin on things.