Books of Excellence

Tonight Bonnie Kaye welcomes Adriene Jones whose most recent book is Just Another Victim. Adriene was born in 1967 and lives in Dolomite, Alabama . Upon graduating high school in 1987, she went to Booker T. Washington College and took writing courses. She worked in the field of customer service for a number of years. After the death of her mother, Adriene decided to pay tribute to her by writing a book about the horrific rape incident of one of her sister's friends which includes the story about her sister's rape as well. It was her hope to write a book that would help warn women about how vulnerable they are when they trust too much.

Just Another Victim is the true story about the treacherously brutal rape of Jewel, an 18-year old  girl, living in New York City in 1965. The night was supposed to be a carefree night of fun with her best friend Janice and her boyfriend along with a young man, Maurice, who was an acquaintance of the couple. What started out as an innocent double date changed Jewel's life forever.  The four young people went to the cemetery to hang out thinking they would have an adventure.  The cemetery was so large that they decided to split up and explore different sides of it. Instead, Jewel was taken to a remote area there and repeatedly raped by Maurice over several hours.

This story serves as a warning to women about their vulnerability when going with men whom they aren't acquainted with into places alone. Jones also intertwines her own sister's brutal rape into the story to show how real this is for all women. Jones recreates that night from accounts she heard from family members. Her message is loud and clear: never put yourself in harm's way because it can cause you great pain that can last forever.