Author Kyle Berkley has worked in the social services/mental health field for nine years. He has provided counseling services to a large segment of the population of Baltimore from the homeless to low-income residents, doing his best to provide them with solutions to their problems. This provided him with credible material for his debut novel, “The Wake,” where Berkley shares the story of a fictional inner-city community in Baltimore facing a variety of challenges often experienced by low-income communities.
Set in the fictional Ridgely Square community in Baltimore, “The Wake” tells the story of Florence Simms, the matriarch of the Simms family, who has come to accept the drama, distress and disappointment that has been the center of her family’s life. Like many other families in the community, the Simms do battle with the effects of child abuse, drug addiction, terminal illnesses and poverty. And when community gentrification, an increase in police killings residents and an unrivaled family crisis are added to the mix, the Simms family begins to fall apart and as a result secrets are revealed.
Young adult literature is fast becoming one of the most dynamic and influential segments of American publishing, enjoyed not only by young adults but by adults as well— some stats have shown that 55 percent of young adult readers are adults. Kamichi Jackson, author of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semi-finalist young adult book, “K My Name Is Kendra” and the upcoming sequel “Starring Me As Myself” has joined the ranks of this popular genre.
Jackson’s book, “K My Name Is Kendra” which is set in a fictional town in the DMV area, focuses on 15-year-old Kendra James’ life as it begins to spiral out of control with the return of her long-lost runaway sister Meisha, and the visit of a young celebrity uncle with questionable intentions.
Things take a turn for the worse when that uncle exploits Kendra’s loneliness and untreated depression and makes a move on her that sends her world into a tailspin from which she’s not sure she’ll ever recover. Will she survive this tragedy…or will she hit rock-bottom before anyone even notices?
Both Berkley and Jackson will sign their books on Saturday, December 8, 2018 from noon to 4 p.m. at Barnes and Noble bookstore, Inner Harbor location.
For more information about Berley and his book, visit: www.authorkylesberkley.com and for more about Jackson and her book, visit: kmynameiskendra.com.