Damaged
by Kia DuPree

List Price: $13.99
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780446547758
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Camille Logan feels trapped. After she is sexually and emotionally abused by her foster parents, she turns to the one person she knows she can trust --- her boyfriend Chu, a mid-level drug dealer. But when life finally starts looking up for Camille, Chu is brutally murdered. Again feeling abandoned and helpless, and refusing to return to the system, Camille finds herself living with a stable of women in a tiny run-down apartment building in Washington, D.C., working for Nut, a deranged pimp. Fed up with her life, Camille is forced to right her wrongs, and slowly learns that her past does not necessarily determine her future.

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1. Why does Mrs. Brinkley keep her thoughts to herself regarding what she feels she knows about Danica, Camille, and Mr. Big? How does she live with what she thinks she knows?

2. The bond between Jayson and Camille evolves deeply over the years for many reasons. Why does Camille decide never to share her dark secret with her foster brother? Should she have? Why or why not?

3. Camille and Danica seemed to be best friends when they lived with the Brinkleys. Should Camille have tried to reconnect with Danica? Why or why not? Why does she not reach out to her?

4. Many physically and verbally abused women find it difficult to leave their abusers behind. What is it about Nut that keeps so many women locked in his grasp despite it all?

5. What does Trina Boo mean when she calls Camille her wife-in-law?

6. Chu’s mother, Ms. Abani, was given the ultimatum of marrying into a polygamous family with Chu’s father. Although she decided not to, many women today decide to continue in relationships fully aware that their partners are also involved with other people. What do you think contributes to this growing trend? Will sharing partners ever subside, or is this a solution to today’s new dating scene?

7. How does Almond Joy fill a void after Peaches leaves Nut? How does Joy’s disappearance affect Nut and the other women?

8. Was there a clear way out of Camille’s desperate situation? If so, what was it?

9. Do you see Rob and Camille ever having a romantic relationship?

10. Should Camille feel guilty about dating her first love’s best friend, if she does decide to pursue a relationship?

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