Janie was four years old when she nearly drowned due to her mother's neglect, but through an unhappy foster home experience, and years of feeling unwanted, she keeps alive her dream of someday being a famous singer.

Young Adult Fiction. HTML:

Leshaya is a survivor. Rescued from the brink of death, this child of a heroin addict has seen it all: revolving foster homes, physical abuse, an unwanted pregnancy. Now, as her tumultuous childhood is coming to an end, she is determined to make a life for herself by doing the only thing that makes her feel whole . . . singing.

Han Nolan pulls no punches in this hard-hitting story of a girl at the bottom who dreams of nothing but the top.

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Janie . . . Leshaya . . . whatever she's called, she's a survivor. Rescued from the brink of death, this child of a heroin addict has seen it all: revolving foster homes, physical abuse, an unwanted pregnancy. Now, as her tumultuous childhood is coming to an end, she is determined not only to survive but to make a life for herself by doing the only thing that makes her feel whole . . . singing. Born Blue is the hard-hitting story of a girl who searches for love and security despite the roadblocks in her way--a gritty story that inspires understanding, tolerance, and compassion. National Book Award winner Han Nolan introduces a heroine unlike any before. A girl with the voice of a woman. A woman with the dreams of a little girl. Readers will never forget Leshaya. A portion of the sales from this book will be donated to the Monarch High School Project in San Diego, California.

Young Adult Fiction. HTML:

October 8, 2001
Nolan (Dancing on the Edge) uses boldly honest first-person narrative to recount the saga of an emotionally disturbed teen, whose life-affirming passion for music constantly conflicts with her self-destructive tendencies. Abandoned by her mother, neglected by her foster parents and later kidnapped and sold by her mother to a drug dealer, Janie finds her only source of happiness when she hears "the ladies"—Etta James, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan—sing. Janie is lily-white, but she identifies more with the music, culture and rhythms of her African-American foster brother, Harmon. When, at a young age, she discovers her own remarkable singing voice, Janie (who changes her name to Leshaya) begins getting the attention she so desperately craves. Her talent proves to be both a blessing and a curse, however, bringing her opportunities and, at the same time, magnetically pulling her into a world where fellow musicians use drugs and sex to heighten their performance. The protagonist's serpentine narration often picks up characters then drops them just as abruptly, mirroring Janie's treatment of others. Some of the developing relationships—her reunion with Harmon and her interest in a gifted songwriter, especially—demonstrate Janie's inability to connect with others to chilling effect. But other examples feel gratuitous once her pattern of behavior is established. By the time readers reach the novel's conclusion, they will have gained an understanding of the tragic heroine's fears, desires and warped perception of family, but Janie herself remains hauntingly elusive, adding to the impact of the book. The question of whether or not Janie will break her cycle of abuse remains unanswered, yet young adults mature enough to bear the story's intensity will also likely recognize the characteristics of this deeply troubled girl from their own communities. Ages 14-up.

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Leshaya is a survivor. Rescued from the brink of death, this child of a heroin addict has seen it all: revolving foster homes, physical abuse, an unwanted pregnancy. Now, as her tumultuous childhood is coming to an end, she is determined to make a life for herself by doing the only thing that makes her feel whole . . . singing.

Han Nolan pulls no punches in this hard-hitting story of a girl at the bottom who dreams of nothing but the top.

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From the time five-year-old Janie is nearly drowned by her heroin-addict mother, through an unhappy foster home experience, and years of feeling that she is unwanted, she keeps alive her dream of someday being a famous singer.

Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. HTML:

A white girl from the South dreams of becoming a blues singer in this novel by the National Book Award-winning author of Dancing on the Edge.

Janie has seen a lot of trouble as the daughter of a heroin addict—revolving foster homes, physical abuse, and more. There's not a soul on earth she can really trust. But her "ladies"—Etta James, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan—help to keep her going. She may be white, but she finds a sense of identity in the music and culture of her African-American foster brother, Harmon.

At sixteen, she's renamed herself Leshaya, and considers herself a survivor—though the tumult of her childhood has taken a fierce emotional toll. Nevertheless, she's determined to make a life for herself, by taking her own blues on the road and doing the only thing that makes her feel whole . . . singing.

Born at the bottom, and dreaming of the top, Leshaya will need to confront everything that has come before. But the draw of the only life she's ever known could take more than a song to beat.

A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults and a Kentucky Bluegrass Award Nominee, "this searing novel . . . asks essential questions about how to reclaim oneself and build a life." —Booklist

"This novel is raw, rough, and riveting. The writing is superb; like the blues, it bores down through the soul, probing at unpleasant truths and wringing out compassion. Readers will be absorbed." —School Library Journal

"Absolutely riveting . . . Leshaya captivates with her strength and determination." —Kirkus Reviews (starred)

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Through years of feeling that she is unwanted, Janie keeps alive her dream of being a famous singer.