I want to share this review from Midwest Book Reviews', Diane Donovan. I hope you enjoy reading the review as much as I enjoyed receiving it. And, of course, I hope you buy the novel, "Defining Family", and develop your own opinion.


Defining Family
Daniel Lance Wright
Whiskey Creek Press
PO Box 51052, Casper, WY 82605-1052
9781611602456, $4.99, www.amazon.com
http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1022


Defining Family is a powerful young adult novel which opens in a Texas children's home when a prank gone awry sends four sheltered teens into the world on the run from the law.

For teen Samantha, recovering from a nightmare of childhood sexual abuse by her parents, it means re-entering a world which has defined her life and fears with one event.

For Rebecca, it's all about antagonizing Samantha, whom she sees as controlling others around her by intimidation. Covered with tattoos and piercings, Rebecca's hard exterior hides a tender heart and a fondness she holds for Aaron.

Speaking of Aaron, his quest to live a less fearful life brings them all into danger, while Amy has her own demons to flee.

While running makes sense at the time, the four teens eventually realize that flight isn't bringing them any further from trouble, and is ultimately bringing them closer together in an ever-tightening quest for survival.

Romance, survival, trust, betrayal, and quests for maturity affect the friends as they move through countryside and bring challenges which will bring them full-circle to confront their own inner demons of their pasts.

DEFINING FAMILY is about more than defining family or coming of age without one. It's about breaking down barriers to intimacy through shared experiences and struggles for both individual and group survival - and it's about finding a place in the world rather than running from it.

Teens interested in a gripping coming-of-age survival saga will find much to relish in this moving saga.