Reading (and reviewing) for a Cause

The Blue Notebook, by James Levine


When A Reader's Respite stumbled upon a recent review of The Blue Notebook over at The Literate Housewife Review, we immediately knew we just HAD to read this book.

And we couldn't wait until the July 7th release date. So for the first time ever, you're about hear A Reader's Respite say something we never, ever thought we'd say: Thank you, Amazon. Thanks to Amazon's Vine program, a copy was speedily sent our way and we devoured this book within 24 hours.

And what a book it is. This is Batuk's story, as written in her blue notebook. Sold into prostitution at the tender age of nine, Batuk survives the worst the world has to offer and still maintains her inner beauty and, in a way, her innocence.

Sadly, Batuk's story is all too common in many parts of the world, where teenage prostitution is common and accepted in society. This unfathomable abuse of children literally turns the stomach, but that is no reason to avoid this book. In fact, we would argue that you have a moral responsibility to purchase this book, not only to raise awareness of this atrocity, but also because 100% of the proceeds from U.S. sales of The Blue Notebook will be donated to the International and National Centers for Missing and Exploited Children.

That's right, 100%.

So if you are browsing through your local bookstore and see this novel, please buy it. We'll so our part by giving away our advanced copy of this book to one randomly drawn winner on the book's release date, July 7th. So if you'd like to enter, please leave a comment!





More reviews for those of you still on the fence:

The Booklady's Blog
Bibliophile by the Sea
Stitch and Bear
The Literate Housewife Review
A Writer's Pen
All About {n}
Notebook Stories
Lazygal Reads
The Magic Lasso
Books on the Brain
Bookworm with a View