Born in Sin

Fifteen-year-old Keisha lives with her mother, seventeen year old sister Rhenda, Rhenda's two year old baby, and Punky her brother. They don't have much money but they love each other and work hard to survive under their near poverty conditions. Keisha does well at school and wants very much to become a doctor. In fact with the help of her Biology teacher she has applied to nearby Avery University for a scholarship in their premed summer program. Unbeknownst to her, Ms. Hill the counselor at school has changed Keisha's curriculum track from college prep to general which disqualifies her for the premed program. When Keisha finds out she looses her temper and makes a dive for Ms. Hill's wig, pulling it off and creating a scene in the office. Once everything settles down it is decided that Keisha will attend a daily summer camp for "at risk" kids. Keisha never forgets her dream of attending Avery over the summer, but soon finds that she will have to postpone her plans until the fall if she can just come up with the money. Her mother says not to worry they will manage some how. Meanwhile, Keisha learns how to swim and soon discovers that she is a natural who wins every race. The local swim coach persuades Keisha and her friend Betty to join the team and gives them hope for the Olympics. This is a wonderful story that rings true with every word. It's the sort of book that you can't put down because the characters are so real and you want to find out what's going to happen to them.

I chose to read Born in Sin, because of the title. I like drama and assumed the pages would be overflowing with it. Instead of drama Evelyn Coleman takes us on an emotional sometimes-witty rollercoast ride with Keisha Wright and her friends at a program called At-Risk Kids. At Risk is for poor teens Born in Sin as Keisha puts it. Keisha aspired to attend Avery University and become the families' first doctor. When she receives her letter of acceptance, she quickly realizes that she doesn't have the money needed to attend. Keisha doesn't believe her mom can get the deposit for school and in her 14-yr. old mind she doesn't want to make her mom feel bad so she tries to hide the letter.Betty Shabazz is also an At Risk kid. To get away from her drug addict mom and alcoholic stepfather she befriends Keisha, taking up for her whenever she's around. The first activity the kids learn is how to swim, while in the water Betty goes out much too far, and has a near fatal accident. At that moment Keisha decides she is going to learn to swim. `Cause the next black person I saw drowning, I wanted to be able to save'em myself". Betty craves for attention and love and she goes looking for it in all the wrong places. Again she is at the depths of near death. Keisha and Betty learn how to swim, they are very good at it, so much so they believe they are going to the Olympics, with the help of the team coach, Mr. Walt. With so much turmoil and disappointments in her life, and Betty no longer able to swim, Keisha decides that dreaming and believing isn't for black kids. After joining the swim team and making it as one of the anointed ones she gives up, until she receives a letter from Malik Shabazz, Betty's brother. Giving Keisha what she needs to go on, inspiration and romantic hope.This book is for anyone and everyone who has a dream or simply had one and lost it. Keisha and her At Risk friends will show you that dreams come in all sizes.Evelyn Coleman is a wonderful storyteller. The voice of Keisha was one I will always carry around with me.Reviewed by Missy

If you are ready to read an emotional, spiritual, thought-provoking coming of age novel of a young girl's struggle and turmoil in striving to reach her dreams, welcome to Born In Sin by Evelyn Coleman. You will not be disappointed in the depth and strong story line crafted by Ms. Coleman. This is a must read for everyone.Keisha Wright is a fourteen-year-old girl who is streetwise and smart in school. Her long-standing dream is to one day become a doctor. To help fulfill that dream, she anxiously awaits news of her acceptance into the high school program at Avery University. While at school, Keisha is called to the principal's office along with other students and is told she is being assigned to a program for "at-risk" children for the summer. Not only is she told she is "at-risk" but is also told that she is being removed from the college prep course program where she has been getting excellent grades. This alone sets the stage of a very revealing story of how the education community and society itself stereotypes our youth. While attending the "at-risk" program with persistence from her mother, Keisha meets and becomes best friends with Betty Shabazz and soon develops a crush on her brother, Malik. Betty and Malik both have to struggle daily with a drug addict mother and alcoholic father. Becoming friends with Keisha helps Betty to stay away from home as much as possible and from her parents environment. After a beach incident, where Betty almost drowns when the lifeguard decides to take his time to rescue her; and Betty's brother Malik beats the lifeguard and is almost taken to jail, both Betty and Keisha decides it time to learn how to swim. What they soon realize is that they both have a talent in swimming and are asked to join a local community swim team. They excel in swimming to the point of being considered Olympic hopefuls. In the meantime, the lure of the streets and material things take Betty to near disastrous results. While fighting that same lure, Keisha refuses to allow an opportunity to attend Avery University high school program pass her by, so she applies on her own and is accepted. However, because she was removed from the college prep program at school, she now must pay for the program herself. Keisha's mother takes it upon herself to earn the money anyway she can, keeping what she is doing from her family. When Keisha and the rest of the family speculates on what their mother may be doing to earn the money, she follows her one night and is nearly raped. Still not knowing what her mother is doing to earn the money for her to attend Avery University, she becomes totally distraught to the point that she feels she must indeed been "born in sin". Keisha, Betty, and Malik along with other strong developed characters in Ms. Coleman's novel is scripted to a point that every person jumps out at you with their own personal drama and real emotions. She draws you into relating and becoming truly absorbed