LULLABIES FOR LITTLE CHILDREN (Heather O'Neill) - August 12/07

Though I found myself really hating this book for the first couple hundred of pages - it's just all so unpleasant - the introduction of a really sweet subplot involving Baby's relationship with a boy her own age (Xavier) certainly held my interest. But it's impossible to overlook the nastiness within the story - Baby has to deal with her junkie father, abusive pimp, and life as a prostitute - and O'Neill's writing is often far more flowery and descriptive than it needs to be. But the fact that I wound up liking it at all after the disastrous first few chapters is pretty remarkable. **1/2 out of ****