Love Laws

By Mary Muhammad and Mary Muhammad -Allison

Shanty and Jessie have known each other all their lives. They shared most everything, at least that's what Jessie thought until she discovered things about shanty she never knew. Wanting to be successful, Jessie embarks on a long time dream of her grandfathers, and takes it in another form, to the worst part of her hometowns' neighborhood. Being under the watchful eyes of Dustin and Russell, Jessie finds herself up to her throat in "Love Laws".

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1435726200
• ISBN13: 9781435726208
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Length: 172 Pages
• Weight: 0.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Jessie and her best friend, Shanty, are within weeks of graduating high school. Jessie can't wait to get on with her life and fulfill her dreams of becoming an architect. She is surprised to learn that her grandfather (whom she never got to know) was also an architect, and one that brought many benefits to her town of Muskegon. His vision helped build a much needed medical research facility. When Jessie notices a building the town has slated for demolition, her brain starts firing ideas at her. She creates a new use for the old building and puts her ideas onto paper. With the help of a local couple who encourage the area teens, Jessie is determined to see her ideas come to fruition. In the meantime, Jessie has had her eye on Dustin. But she's positive he doesn't even know she exists. To make matters worse, Dustin seems to show interest in her best friend! Jessie is honorable and would never dream of cutting in on her friend's territory. But Shanty is sweet on Richard, an up-and-coming musician. And then Russell, a smart, college, law-bound boy, starts to show interest in Jessie. The romantic entanglements are too much for Jessie. All she really wants is to have fun and not worry about a serious relationship at this time. When Dustin keeps approaching her with sweet gestures but then hanging out with Latajsha, Jessie has no clue what is going on. Ms. Muhammad writes a story focusing on Jessie, a girl with a strong and moral center. It was wonderful to read a story based in the city that doesn't have a depressing overtone. Instead of hearing a "poor me" theme, Ms. Muhammad creates a character that knows what she wants and isn't afraid to keep to her dreams, no matter what is going on around her. Jessie grows up in a loving home with both parents who are still very much in love and supportive of Jessie. With the guidance of her parents and her best friend, Shanty, Jessie grows into a beautiful young woman. The author leaves the reader hanging with teasers in her postscript. Will there be a continuation to Jessie's story? Will she give Dustin a chance? Or will things develop with Russell? These questions aren't answered in the story - but maybe in a forthcoming sequel? Reviewed by: Jaglvr

Recomended Read

Littlefoot's Library Editing, Proofreading and Reviewing Services For the Professional Author Thomas D. "Thom" Cantrall 630 S. Washington St. Ste 420 Kennewick, WA 99336 [..] Date: 28 Feb 2009 Title: "Love Laws" ISBN: 98-1-4357-2620-8 Publisher: Lulu/Mary Muhammad Genre: Young Adult Author: Mary Muhammad Reviewer: Thom Cantrall As a reviewer, I am often asked to read and discuss books outside of my usual and accustomed reading area of interests. Most often this has not been a pleasant experience. There have been times that it was most difficult to render an unbiased and fair review on a book that I would not normally pick up off the shelf...Let alone read with enough care and concern to render an opinion as to its worthiness. This book did not fall in that category in any way. Although I would seldom choose a young adult novel by preference, I found this work to be most enjoyable. The main characters, Jessie and Shanty soon become larger than life, bigger than real teens. I was quickly captured by the charm of two above average teens as they wended their way through the intricacies that are life in the final days of a girl's High School life. That this all occurred in an inner-city, large school environment so totally foreign to someone who graduated from a tiny high school in a semi-rural farming area only compounded the aura of mystique surrounding the characters. I found the story interesting and the character development exceptional. That Jessie and Shanty were life-long friends and were devoted to one another was obvious. Less obvious but none-the-less as important were their interactions within their "crew". Russell, Richard, Dustin and Crystal all had their places and al were part of growing up. Ms. Muhammad did a wonderful job of using the vernacular or black youth in a large city to bring her characters to life in a stirring and pleasing way. While I don't believe this will supplant works like "Gone with the Wind" or "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in literature, I did find it a very pleasant read and I eagerly look forward to the coming of the next chapter in this ongoing saga of real life. Thomas D. "Thom" Cantrall Reviewer [..]