CAUGHT UP IN THE RAPTURE

When Sheneska Jackson wrote this debut novel, she counted on the fact that she'd grown up in this neighborhood to bring depth and veracity to her literature. She has admirably succeeded. Jazmine and the X-Man both have exceptional voices and share a common dream--to make it big in the music world. But can their talent, love, and ambition conquer the violence and other social forces that threaten to tear them apart? Each character and narrator performs in individual chapters. Two of them are superb, but the man who portrays X-Man is weak in his presentation of the gangsta rapper's cronies. P.R. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE/JULY 05]