It's a great read but it really needs to be edited and fine tuned. The author got his point over very well. I'm still in your corner and I will still support you. For your next book please get it edited and fine tune and you will be the next best selling author.

Reviewer
Big Time Publishing magazine

Therone Shellman offers a badly needed male insight into the world of single, Black mothers. So many female voices have soared, in previous years, above cries of the males. Mr. Shellman provides the male voice and opportunity. Terry McMillan and Toni Morrison have stated their cases (on this subject) in the past years without much opposition. Mr. Shellman is making a claim to stating a case that will become more credible and sophisticated as he writes in the future.

I am looking forward to offering this book to middle and secondary school pupils that require books that deal with the reality of their urban lives.

Mr. Shellman uses dialogue well and assumes the full female 'persona' in a way that is intriguing and haunting. I liked his incorporation of history into his text to enhance the raw reality of the events. As a teacher, this will serve as a good tool for making lessons far more relative to to current times. We (the readers) look forward to gaining more objectivity and insight as this writer progresses over the years.

Dr. Codling

Title:Hold On Be Strong
Author: Jaeyel Imes


We are invited into the worlds of Barbara and Beverly, both women in their early 20s; their story is set in the 70s and 80s. Barbara learns a difficult lesson about love when she is abandoned during her sixth month of pregnancy. Beverly is widowed as a result of her boyfriend being killed during a bank robbery. Both women are thrust into the world of being a single parent. Shellman gives us an intimate look at the lives of both women. Any woman whether she is a mother or not, can relate to the trials and tribulations of each woman. Though the story was kind of slow in the beginning, Shellman weaves a believable and realistic tale.

This story is relevant because it is representative of the life that many women are leading today. In this novel, the concepts of ?striving for greatness and being the best you can be? are ringing loud and clear. I think that Shellman is on his way to becoming a powerful and riveting writer.

--Reviewed by Tanya Bates for C&B Books
4 stars

The African-American writing communities can applaud itself for harboring young writers who attempt to tell a story and write it for mass appeal, especially when the subject matter is equally plausible. First time author, Therone Shellman is young, but don't let that sway you from reading his debut novel, LOVE DON'T LIVE HERE. I read it and was impressed with the concept of single parent dilemmas, and how he adequately gave compelling voices to the female characters. The subject matter is mature and happens to be prevalent in our society of misguided intent and the ills of bad discernable options. The author tells the story of Barbara, Trini, Beverly, Malik, and the lives of children, Derek and Tinesha. Lets' set the stage: This is a story of how two women deal with raising children on their own, and the psychological woes associated with commitment and infidelity for single parenthood. Barbara and Beverly are reminiscent of any young women struggling to make ends meet after the loves of their lives are no longer in the picture. Barbara experiences abandonment by her boyfriend, Trini who is irresponsible and gets cold feet after finding out she is pregnant. Beverly is hard-pressed to cope with the realization that she will have to raise her son and daughter without a father, who commits to the Black Panthers, which causes him his life.

Though kudos are given to the author's depiction of an idea meshed into a workable storyline, I felt at times tedium would further mire the book stuck on surface matters without depth. As such, inexperience allowed Mr. Shellman to miss salient points in the book by spending too much time on incidental happenings that didn't really add much to the book, or make them a vital part of giving intrigue to the plot. I would have liked more of a back-story to add balance. Moreover, I was looking for extra-curricular renderings of interest in how the women fared, how they could have risen above mediocrity while still raising the children, and how new relationship could have enhanced the wherewithal of success. I was equally disappointed by the fact that the women became friends too fast without developmental stages to breed familiarity. Could this story have been told better? Perhaps. But let's give credit to the author's foresight and good intent to show the difficulty single women face in raising male children in a world that is often weighted against the black male.

Despite the middle passage being tumultuous and shaky, I applaud the author for producing a debut that will undoubtedly appeal to readers that can relate accordingly. This was a good first effort by Mr. Shellman. With room for improvement, I am looking forward to more from him in the future, and truly feel that we haven't heard the last of this promising author. I rate this book 3 stars out of 5.

"Love Don't Live Here is a great introduction to the author Therone Shellman to the literary scene. This story is based on two young women Beverly and Barbara beginning in the 1970's and well into the 1980's. These women are faced with the challenge of raising their children as single parents. It also focuses on the difficulty that mothers experience with rearing a son in particular. Due to the fact that their father figure is absent from their lives."

"Mr. Shellman has illustrated a story around these women and gradually introduces several other characters as well. Through this novel, the reader is provided with pertinent information about them, revealing their family situations and their struggles to survive."

"Readers will learn information about the Black Panther Party, which is touched on due to one of the main characters' boyfriend being a participant of the movement."

"As the story unfolds, the reader will understand the correlation to the other characters and how eventually the paths of these characters are crossed leaving deadly results."

"Overall, this was an interesting story, providing insight on the plight in the world of relationships and single motherhood."