The Kid

By: Sapphire

Narrated by: Sapphire

Fifteen years after the publication of Push, one year after the Academy Award-winning film adaptation, Sapphire gives voice to Precious's son, Abdul.

In The Kid bestselling author Sapphire tells the electrifying story of Abdul Jones, the son of Push's unforgettable heroine, Precious.

A story of body and spirit, rooted in the hungers of flesh and of the soul, The Kid brings us deep into the interior life of Abdul Jones. We meet him at age nine, on the day of his mother's funeral. Left alone to navigate a world in which love and hate sometimes hideously masquerade, forced to confront unspeakable violence, his history, and the dark corners of his own heart, Abdul claws his way toward adulthood and toward an identity he can stand behind.

In a generational story that moves with the speed of thought from a Mississippi dirt farm to Harlem in its heyday; from a troubled Catholic orphanage to downtown artist's lofts, The Kid tells of a twenty- first-century young man's fight to find a way toward the future. A testament to the ferocity of the human spirit and the deep nourishing power of love and of art, The Kid chronicles a young man about to take flight. In the intimate, terrifying, and deeply alive story of Abdul's journey, we are witness to an artist's birth by fire.

Critic reviews

“[P]owerful… affecting and harrowing.”—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

“A devastating voice, demanding and raw . . . an accomplished work of art.”—The Los Angeles Times

“The breathtaking velocity and visceral power of her prose soars off the page…The Kid gives us a story and a narrative voice which, like his mother’s before him, should definitely be heard.”—The Guardian (UK)

“[Sapphire] remains fearlessly committed to telling uncomfortable truths… Like Push, The Kid is deeply moving and unflinching.”—Essence

“The Kid’s unflinching authenticity makes it tough yet ultimately rewarding to read.”—People

"Steely-eyed, full-frontal daring."—Philadelphia Inquirer

Waste of a Credit

I only finished this book because I started it. It’s not something I would recommend. I enjoyed Push a great deal, and I had high hopes that this sequel would keep in stride. I was greatly disappointed. Sapphire’s narration was less than stellar at best. The story was just ok, and sometimes very difficult to follow. Some parts seem to have been written for the sole purpose of shocking the reader.

Waste of a credit

Wish I would have read the reviews this book was not good the storyline was ok but it was very hard to follow at times and the narrator was horrible I definitely would NOT recommend this book to anyone

Enjoyed it

Its something you would have to listen to your self. This book can go either way. Its just as blunt as "push"......Indescribable

good book terrible to listen to

so this is a really good book and I read some of the reviews about how the author read the book and I wanted to give it a chance because the person who wrote the book is narrating the book so she must know how she wanted to say things but listening to this has been so terribly painful. I wish I had just bought the book myself. It’s true. It’s like she doesn’t use or acknowledge punctuation. Even sounds irritated at times or drained. I really wish someone would redo this audible book..

Not Bad, but not great either. Story needs to be streamlined for a better flow.

While Sapphire is a wonderful writer, I feel like The Kid wasn't as good ( not to say it's not) as Push was. I feel like the storyline could be more streamlined and flowed more smoothly. I do feel like the more graphic details were a bit too much. While this story wasn't terrible, I think Sapphire really should have streamlined it to where it flowed more smoothly because it just felt all over the place. Performance-wise, Sapphire did okay, think she did struggle in places but reading your own book, it's bound to happen but I feel that narration isn't exactly her strong suit. Not saying she's terrible or anything, it just doesn't seem to be something she does very often. I think she should have had Bahni Turpin narrate this audiobook, like she did with Push. I think the storyline could have benefitted from being more streamlined and polished because it was just all over the place.