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Kicking The Sky (2013)

by Anthony De Sa(Favorite Author)

3.65 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0385664389 (ISBN13: 9780385664387)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Doubleday Canada

review 1: There are some ugly things and shady characters that will turn some people off of this realistic, gritty, coming-of-age tale set in Toronto, Canada in 1977; but the vivid, poignant writing and the innocence of the main character, 12-yr-old Antonio, balances out the seedier aspects. Antonio comes from a strong loving family but some of his friends are not so lucky. There are themes of male prostitution, child prostitution and child abuse. I loved this writing because I felt like I could see and feel Antonio's world. I loved the wacky religious behavior that was spurned when Antonio discovered the image of Jesus in a shell.
review 2: A poignantly tragic look at a seedy underground Toronto, in the aftermath of the sexual assault(s) murder of the 12 year old "S... morehoeshine Boy" Emanuel Jaques in 1977. In particular, this book focuses on a (fictionalized) small group of youth in the Portuguese community in Toronto during this tipping point in Toronto's dark history. I was the exact age of Emanuel Jaques when he was murdered, and I remember feeling vulnerable and disillusioned by the world as I followed this case in the Toronto Star on a day to day basis - leading up to the discovery of his body on a roof top building across from the newly opened and partially built Eaton Centre, and the arrests of several men who were involved in his rape in murder. Toronto, it seemed, was an emerging city - the Eaton Centre, and the CN Tower were the latest tourist attractions to be developed in Toronto - and yet downtown Yonge Street, at the time, remained a tacky strip of massage parlours, strip clubs, and biker hang-out. Yes, things have changed. But underneath the surface of every sparkling clean veneer, lies of the underbelly of con artists, manipulation, and victimization. This is a compelling, but truly disturbing read. less

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