by Heather Huffmanebook
Published July 2010 by Heather Huffman
ISBN 2940011086601
Read June 2011
reviewed by Donna Huber
Wow! I read this book in 8 days. I'm not a fast reader, but I seem to read a bit faster on my Nook (maybe it is because I can read anywhere I have a few minutes). But with this book, it was the story line that had me clicking the next page. I stayed up well past midnight Monday night reading.
Throwaway isn't extremely dark, though with its plot it so could have been. Jessie is a prostitute, but it is not a life she would have chosen had she had other options. But when she had to chose at 18 to either live on the street, never knowing where her next meal would come from or have a roof over her head and food on the table, it didn't really seem like a choice. Now, more than a decade later, she has grown weary and despondent over having no control in her life. Her pimp Spence has gotten in over his head and Jessie sees an opportunity to finally live her life.
Throwaway sheds light on a subject that is prevalent in our society, but is swept under the rug or we turn a blind eye to it (or maybe it is because we are ignorant of it). Human slavery still exists in our country. Women and children are the most likely victims. Some are bought from poor countries, where women and young girls have little or no prospects. Others are Americans born in the land of the free; yet, life has dealt them a crappy hand and they, too, have little or no prospects. The main character Jessie grew up in foster care and when she aged out of the system at 18, she found herself on the street with $47 to her name. How many other women in the sex industry have wound up there because they didn't know what else to do and it was better than starving to death?
Heather Hoffman does a wonderful job of opening the reader's eyes that not all the women we see on the street as being there by true choice. She could have been overly detailed and exploitative with this subject. Yet, she spins a tale full of compassion and understanding. My heart broke for Jessie and Gabe, the man who was sent to arrest her, but falls in love with her. Though he has a few more resources than the average person, through him the reader can see ways they can help girls in similar situations.
You can tell that this subject is close to the heart for Heather Hoffman. She offered Throwaway for free at Barnes and Noble so that everyone could have access to this story. At the end of the story there are several websites and organizations listed should readers want to get involved in ending modern day slavery and helping the people that find themselves in bondage.
Buy Throwaway at Amazon
(it's FREE)
Donna Huber, founder & publisher. Donna is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour. She reads most genres, but her favorite books are psychological thrillers and stories that highlight the survival of the human spirit against unbelievable circumstances.
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