A Family Sin    by Travis Hunter Order:  USA  Can One World, 2007 (2007) Softcover Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Sally Selvadurai Karim Spencer is everyone's image of the ghetto kid made good; he's a charming, educated and successful businessman, living in an upscale subdivision in Atlanta with a delightful son and live-in girlfriend. But this is merely an illusion. Karim's past has begun to impinge on this idyllic existence, putting both his career and family relationships at risk. Added to the resurfacing of Karim's demons is the spectre of his only nephew, JaQuan, ending up on the wrong side of the law, running with a bad crowd in the same district that Karim knows only too well. Nadiah, Karim's sister and mother to JaQuan, is also going through an identity crisis, realizing that she has not been there for her son and trying to extricate herself from one of her many abusive relationships. Throughout this melodrama there is one steadying force – grandmother Momma Mae, who, although she sells bootleg from her backdoor, proves to be a pillar of strength and wisdom to her offspring and the neighbourhood at large. Karim sets about trying to release his brother, Omar, from the life sentence that he is wrongly serving without compromising his own freedom, while at the same time straightening out his nephew and sister. This book is a quick read, but the reader does get sucked into the plot effectively, routing for Karim and his clan and hoping until the end that it all works out. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews