Forever My Lady

Jeff Rivera
Grand Central Publishing (2007)
ISBN 9780446698818
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (7/07)


“Forever My Lady,” by Jeff Rivera, is written from Dio’s point of view.  You can understand how his mind works.  He does not have much going for him.  He lives in a world of violence.  Dio is filled with anger.  He has a reason to be angry.  A single mother in Las Vegas raised him and, by age 13, he was in a gang and carried a gun tucked in his clothing.  A drive-by shooting injures Jennifer and leads Dio to a prison boot camp.

Dio and Jennifer pledged their love to each other as children.  She was the only one that ever understood him.  Writing letters to Jennifer kept Dio going through his time in the harsh prison boot camp.  Both teens begin to grow, mature.  Dio grows from a brute to a mature young man.  Jennifer moved on with her life.  While Dio was serving his sentence, Jennifer met someone else.  She is in the midst of her wedding when Dio shows up at the church to attempt to win her love again.

“Forever My Lady,” by Jeff Rivera, is not a book I would purchase.  I had never heard the term Urban Lit, literature written for street kids.  I did not care for this book, but it was not written for me.  Despite whether I liked the book or not, in my judgment, Jeff Rivera is a very talented author.  Mr. Rivera’ characters came alive on the pages.  Dio’s emotions were raw.  He was so filled with anger that he could not think logically.  While most people will not relate to this story, urban young adults will.  Reading this book is like watching urban life through safety glass.  I feel protected and yet horrified.  We will be hearing much more from Jeff Rivera.  I recommend this book to Young Urban Adults.

Make comment on weblog