Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley

[+ Lucky]

Author Leila Mottley was 17 years old when she began writing Nightcrawling. She's not much older now, so it is an even more impressive debut novel because it is so well-written and gripping. She tells the tale of a struggling teen girl in Oakland who takes up prostitution, only to have the police turn her into their plaything. Her neighbor, Dee, is a crack addict who abandons her 9-year old son, and he is taken care of by the teen prostitute, who is named Kiara. There is a lot of love in this story, and Mottley writes it in a heartfelt but tough manner. I am simply amazed at how someone so young could write this gripping story so well.

The NY Times liked it too:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/07/books/review/nightcrawling-leila-mottley.html?searchResultPosition=3

 

Edited July 7, 2022 by Lucky