4 out of 4 stars
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The Life and Times of Tommy Kaos is a compelling novel by T. L. Henry based on real-life events. However, the names of the characters were altered to protect the innocent and the guilty. The PDF format is composed of 425 pages, and it was divided into fifty chapters. The book is written in first person point-of-view. It is a lengthy story, but once you started reading, you would look forward to the next events, so you would continue flipping the pages.
Children would usually spend their childhood running on streets, climbing trees, skipping rope, or playing games with other children. However, this is not the case for Tommy Kaos, who is the narrator of the story. He never enjoyed his childhood. His mom, named Sheryl Adamson was drunkard, irresponsible, and invective. She treated her children as slaves. She only kept her children for food stamps and money from welfare checks.
I hate his mom for her actions. She always goes home with a new man, and Tommy and his sister, May, would be taken to the man's place. They were brought to different places. She usually hit her children when they do mischievous acts, which is not the proper way in instilling discipline in children. She also prohibits Tommy to do his hobbies and interests. At one point, she badly hurt him when he joined the basketball try-out. As a result, he had lost his interest in going to school.
The kind of treatment Tommy received from his mom caused him to decide to live on his own. He worked in various jobs. He met different women and he became sexually involved with them. He became more addicted in his vices which compelled him to search for money, even in illegal ways. Nevertheless, there was never a point in the story where I despised him. For me, he was the victim. He could not have done those if he was properly guided by his mom.
I rate The Life and Times of Tommy Kaos by T. L. Henry 4 out of 4 stars. I think the choice of words for this story is good. The author chose to use layman's terms which are very easy to understand. There were few spelling and punctuation errors but it did not hinder my pace in reading. If I were to give a suggestion, it would be the inclusion of more dialogues. Dialogues portray scenes vividly and breathe life into the characters. This book caters to everyone, but it is most recommended for those who are against abuse and exploitation of children. I also recommend it to those who were ill-treated but found a way to overcome trauma. It would expose readers to the reality of life. To the parents, they would learn that they have to raise their children well, for them not be like Tommy. To the young ones, they would realize that the actions of Tommy were not cool, and they would not benefit at all if they follow those.
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The Life and Times of Tommy Kaos
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