Daddy By Default

So now that graduate school and graduation is over (now I am The Reading Diva, MLIS), I actually have time to sit down and read books that don't contain anything about library science. I got a chance to read and finish Daddy By Default by Pat Tucker.

Parker and his wife Roxanne just suffered another miscarriage. After leaving the hospital, Parker gets pulled over by the cops, only to be arrested for unpaid child support. Problem is, he doesn't have any kids.

Parker's best friend James is going through a difficult divorce from Serena, the wife from hell. In the middle of this is their young daughter, Semaj. Things go from bad to worst when James finds out he's not Semaj's father.

And there's LaChez. She's probably never worked a day of her life. Instead she pimps her children's fathers and the government to get money. She gets wrapped up in a fake child support scheme that may cost her her freedom.

I give props that this book was a quick and interesting read. I did like that all of the stories were eventually linked and the end was a little surprising. I found myself rooting for the men in this story, because they were suckered or forced into situations they weren't suppose to be in. The women pretty much ticked me off, especially LaChez. I couldn't believe the actions of Roxanne through most of the book. What happened to standing by your man? And trifling is beyond what LaChez was. And I don't blame her son for trying to get some of her money.

My only true problem with the book is that some facts were changed throughout the book. One (very) minor character's age went from 11 to 9. In one part of the book, LaChez went out to get some weave for a party. Then towards the end of the book, she became white. Huh? I know that white people do get weave (or extensions), but most of the book, I was imagining this character being black. Since it was so close to the end, I kept her black in my mind. And there were some loose ends hanging in the end of the book.

This book does serve as a cautionary tale of the child support and welfare systems. If you find yourself if a middle of a paternity/child support case, do what you have to do, even if the child may not be yours.

I am going to take a page of out Read For Pleasure's book and end this post with a song. I heard this on the radio yesterday and thought this would be a good way to end this post. I could have used some other songs, but with the tone of the book, I think that the King of Pop's cautionary tale was the most appropriate.