Just Gone

By William Kowalski

Mother Anqelique runs a shelter for homeless mothers and their children in a run-down inner-city area, where drug addiction, prostitution and random acts of violence are facts of life. One day, newly orphaned Jamal and his sister Chantay arrive at the shelter, hungry and scared. As Angelique tries to find a new home for them, she develops a fascination with seven-year-old Jamal, who seems to inhabit a world of his own. Jamal tells her fantastic stories of a man named Jacky Wacky, who protects the poor children of the city and punishes the adults who harm them. A God-fearing woman, Angelique doesn't believe his stories at first. But strange things begin to happen whenever Jamal is around, and Mother Angelique is forced to admit that the world may contain stranger truths than her faith can explain.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raven Books
• Release date: Sep 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781459803282

William Kowalski

William Kowalski is the author of Eddie's Bastard, Somewhere South of Here, and The Adventures of Flash Jackson. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1970 and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania. He lives in Nova Scotia with his wife and daughter.

Reviews for Just Gone

[tinasnyderrn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was an excellent way to start my day... 2 cups of coffee and a good book...there is no better start to a wonderful day. Kudos to William Kowalski and his book Just Gone. This book was very inspiring. There really are still amazing people in this vast world we live in and those who help the children are truly inspiring. This well-written book made me smile and at times made me want to cry also. A short read that flows smoothly and draws in the reader quickly. Look forward to reading more by this author...job well done!!!

[cynthia357 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this"rapid read". It held my attention so I could read it in about an hour. A slightly para-normal story of two young children who were abused and how they coped with it into adulthood.

[terriv_4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was impressed that the story actually drew me in & kept my attention. I like the concept of "Jacky Wacky" - if only he were real! I'll be passing this on to my daughter to read.

[deanieg_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this book in less than a 1/2 hour, maybe that's why it's Rapid Reads?! Two homeless orphaned children show up at a shelter, dirty, ragged and hungry, Mother Angelique feeds them and barely finds out what happened to their mother before they disappear again. Little boy says Jacky Wacky did what he does to grownups who mistreat children. Of course Mother Angelique doesn't believe the story, just chalks it up to another urban legend. By the end of the story she learns the truth about Jacky Wacky. Not scary as you might think. It's an okay story. Could have been fleshed out a little more.

[vancouverdeb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Mother" Angelique works at an inner city shelter. One night young Jamal (age 7) and his step- sister Chantay ( age 14)arrive at the shelter. They reluctantly explain to Angelique that their mother has died and that they are on their own. Angelique, our narrator, is a very genuine, compassionate person and willing to bend the rules for a better outcome. Realizing that a foster home may be worse than living on the street, Angelique seeks to find a good home for Jamal and Chantay on her own. As I read the story, I was enlightened on topics such as poverty, drug addiction, and prostitution. I really respected how author William Kowalski broached these challenging topics in shades of grey, rather than black and white.I very much enjoyed this compelling and touching read. William Kowalski explains on his webpage that he writes Rapid Reads such as this for youth and adults with low literacy levels, learning disabilities, and those struggling to survive. I was very impressed that in just 100 pages at Reading Level 3, this story covered complex topics but was an easy to read story that I could not put down. This is my first encounter with books by William Kowalski, but I am already looking into reading more books by this talented author. This story was definitely a captivating , thoughtful read, suitable for most anyone.

[kaysee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a rapid read book and it truly is. I read it in a couple of hours.This book is very well written and entertaining. The story is about a woman who works in a shelter in a inner city. She meets two children one night and in her effort to help them she learns of a man who is called Jacky Wacky that helps the children who are hungry or hurt. It is a great story and one that I hope as a person has some truth in it. Great book!

[karenherndon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Another early reviewer.Well, I can't say I didn't like this story but I can say it wasn't one of my favorites. It is a short little book - took me about an hour to read. I guess that is what the " rapid reads" logo on the book meant. Reminded me of a short story made into a small book. The story itself was ok and I liked the writing style so so but it isn't anything I would recommend to a friend.

[yells-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the second story I have read in this line of books and I quite enjoyed it. The author manages to tell a rather complex story in a short amount of words. I would recommend these books for someone with a long commute who wants something they can get lost in for an hour or so.

[bedda_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Just Gone is a Rapid Reads novel and true to its name it won't take you long to read. It is only a hundred pages or so and the print is nice and big. But the story spans several decades. And I think the large time span coupled with the short length limits the depths of the characters to some extent. You get to know the narrator, Mother Angelique, best because she is, obviously, a constant in the story. But the two children we are introduced to that she is trying to help we only see in little snapshots. We see them as little children and then we get to see them after they have had to survive in the world for years on their own. You get the idea of what happened in the intervening years but no details. So you don't really get to know them that well. The story does a good job of giving the reader a feeling for the despair and hardship of poverty and living in the streets. But it does so without leaving the reader without any hope of better things to come. It has the feeling of an urban legend to me. (Which is appropriate considering the plot.) It’s like a story told over and over until some of the details have been lost and some things have become rather vague. Everyone has heard it but no one can remember how it started and you are almost sure if you hear it again it will not be exactly the same. The concept is good and the narrator interesting so the book is a good way to spend an hour or so but if it had been any longer I think I would have lost interest.