From the bestselling author of "Push," a story of survival and awakening--and one young man's remarkable strength"The Kid" brings us deep into the interior life of Abdul Jones, son of Sapphire's unforgettable heroine, Precious. Left alone by his mother's death to navigate in a world where love and hate sometimes hideously masquerade, forced to confront unspeakable violence, his history, and the dark corners of his own heart, Abdul claws his way toward adulthood. In a generational story that moves with the speed of thought from a Mississippi dirt farm to Harlem in its heyday, from a troubled Catholic orphanage to downtown artists' lofts, "The Kid" is a soaring tale of body and spirit, rooted in the hungers of flesh and of the soul.

Relentless, remorseless, and inspirational, this "horrific, hope-filled story" ("Newsday") is certain to haunt a generation of readers. Precious Jones, 16 years old and pregnant by her father with her second child, meets a determined and highly radical teacher who takes her on a journey of transformation and redemption.