My nephew-son, Adrian Jules, just published his first book, The Truth: A Man's Perspective on Relationships and Women. This book release was a bit of a surprise because he only recently relocated back to LA as he continues to follow his passion.

I confess I didn't want AJ to leave South Florida but he needs to express his immense talent and who am I to try to prevent him from doing that? I also respect and support his drive when he is on his grind. As his auntie-mom, I just want to make sure he's living comfortably while he's living --- not his dream, but his plan. 

This book forced me to readjust my perspective on AJ. He is indeed a wise young man who will always land on his feet because he's smart like that. Regardless of his age and life experiences, he will always be my nephew-son and I'm sure that I along with his other "aunts" and "mothers" in the village will remind him of that every chance we get. 

Now, back to my review. Nephew-son or not, this is my objective review.

First of all, I really like the messages shared in this book. It is informative, insightful and helpful for men and women. AJ's journey to maturity sprinkled with advice is an interesting read. On the other hand, the graphic description of his sexual escapades were very difficult for me to read. I actually skipped over some of them. Lord, have mercy, he's my nephew-son; I really don't need to know that much detail about his life. The auntie-mom in me actually clutched my pearls as I read the book but the businesswoman in me says leave it in, nephew-son, because sex sells. I'll say an extra prayer for myself for thinking that let alone writing that but it's the truth.

It would be a mischaracterization to refer to this as a relationship advice book because it's more than that. It is autobiographical and I'm sure cathartic as it also touches on very sensitive issues such as being the product of rape and growing up as a fatherless son. I wanted to read more, in detail, about how that toxic introduction to the world affected his relationships with women and men. I also recognize that I do not represent the target audience for this book and this current formula probably works for the younger generation. 

I felt AJ's pain as he described his various heartaches and disappointments with women as well as his best friend. He also reminds us that men are not the heartless dogs that women think they are but often rather a manifestation of their reaction to the emotional hurt in their lives.

Kudos to Adrian for writing this book and being brave enough to share his vulnerability and most personal experiences with the world. I recommend this book to my young friends. My older friends, consider yourself warned, as I was. Currently this book is only available digitally. Buy it. 

- vb