Worth a Trillion Dollars

PRAISE FOR THREE QUARTERSDonna Kakonge's new collection of creative non-fiction shows humanity at its best and worst, whether she is depicting malevolent teen boys and girls in the heartless school environs of Cosburn Public School or the quirky loveable family members in St. Vincent. In every story, Donna does not waver from her fearless storytelling in which the truth is told at any cost. What results are stories that will make you both laugh and cry? Kakonge's stories never disappoint. - Laura Lush, Governor General's nominee Very strong, very vivid writing. I feel as if I am seeing and hearing the events right there in front of my eyes. I like the way Donna captures the language of the child, the young person, then the adult. The stories and writing are unapologetically real. She has a strong, confident style. I just really like her fresh, brave, unvarnished style of writing. - Cynthia Reyes, Author, Communications ExpertFrom the first chapter, Three Quarters manages to draw you in so that you sympathize with the main character who happens to be the author. She is just ten years old when we first meet her, and both the tone and writing style match her age. The innocent and tender language makes you feel as if this story is crafted by a child. As the young girl ages though, so does the method of expression. Suddenly the writing is too mature to be written by a child. There is a simple description of sitting on a bench at a mall with her siblings and another touching scene describing the day she brought her Dad to class, but then we move closer to the current day and a harsher tone as an author, Donna Kakonge describes the offensive language she encounters on a bus ride. Stark reality kicks in as she is reminded on that bus ride of a horrible incident from her childhood- Donna's innocence is lost and the writing turns candid. How appropriate that the writing style transitions as the character ages. After all, Three Quarters is about growth and change. It traces the stages of the writer's life, including success and disappointments from childhood to the present day. The story is often warm and tender. At other times it is frank. - Teresa Madaleno-Long, Freelance Writer and Media Relations Consultant