Suburban Slums

The Secret Life of One Woman

Non-Fiction - Biography
414 Pages
Reviewed on 07/03/2013
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Christine Nguyen for Readers' Favorite

"Suburban Slums: The Secret Life of One Woman" is a biography written about the life of Billy Joe, a white woman, about her descent into a world of drugs, crime, violence, and street life in Detroit in the early sixties to early eighties. Billy Joe was raised by a mother who had mental health issues that made her start experimenting with drugs and alcohol at a very early age. Her life spiraled out of control as she had multiple relationships with men who mentally and physically abused her, but her life would drastically change when she met her third husband, Vicenza Giuliano, who would introduce her to a more sinister life of crime than what she already was living. Billy would serve heavy time in prison and come out to turn her life around.

Author Billy Joe (Jean Miller) writes with stunning honesty about her choices in life and teaching the lesson about the consequences and repercussions of your actions. She chose to keep the book in her natural street dialect, keeping the tone of her story raw and very real. She does not make any excuses about her decisions, and tells her life in a matter of fact way, with no apologies. Although she has many regrets, she triumphs over her past by getting out of jail and working as a substance abuse counselor, being an inspiration to anyone that reads this book. This is a fascinating look into one woman’s life of crime that is mesmerizing and hard to put down. Highly recommended for readers who believe in the strength of the human spirit and redemption.