Damaged-Kia DuPree

Damaged
Kia DuPree
Grand Central, Jan 26 2010, $13.99
ISBN: 9780446547758

In Washington, D.C. ten years old Camille Logan is placed with her latest foster family as part of a swinging door system that ignores the welfare of the child once placed because the social services’ workload is overwhelming. Over the next few years, she is abused and sexually molested. The system never bothers to take a look at Camille or her care providers as she is out of sight and therefore out of mind.

Drug dealer Chu is disgusted with what he sees happening to Camille and takes her into his home. He takes care of her until he is murdered in a drug deal. Camille desperately decides to become a hooker working for a nasty abusive pimp, which makes her wonder if she has other options to get off the mean streets of DC.

Damaged is a dark, gritty and profound look at life in DC when a poor youth is caught up in the foster care system and consequently the streets. The cycle seems in evitable though Camille hopes to break out. Although the climax fails to live up to a moving character driven story line that captures the essence of surviving in America’s urban jungle, fans will appreciate Kia DuPree’s powerful inner city hustle; the perfect capitalism system as anyone is for sale on the open market with no tax or surcharge; just supply and demand.

Harriet Klausner