This story begins when Tony Bruno is 7 years old and follows him through young adulthood. It is bleak, brutal, and at times shocking. Life for Tony is nothing but pain. He is taunted, beaten and bullied nearly to death by his classmates, belittled and beaten at home by his good for nothing father, friendless and alone in his misery. He is subjected to every abuse imaginable. Physical, emotional, and later sexually assaulted, which was quite difficult to read...I had to put this book down twice and walk away for a bit.
At 13 he is tossed out of his home with nowhere to turn. Tony ends up in a gang and later in the mob. There are few friendly faces amidst all this turmoil. He meets a kindly older woman and her grand daughter who become his surrogate family, and a girl he falls in love with, but his gangster lifestyle attracts danger to those closest to him. This was an emotional read, that at times had me enraged, disgusted, and sometimes in tears.

I received a complimentary copy for review. ( )

This is a very deep, dark book about just how brutal life can be and how you can come out the other side. The details are written exceptionally well and really bring to life just how cruel the world can be, to people of any age. From the ‘father figure’ he makes when living rough to the young boy himself, the world doesn’t see the age, but the cruel ways continue.

We read along as the cruel upbringing leads to a life the boy may not have once considered, but he thrives. He continues to live and make a life for himself, despite all the odds against him. When he gets massively knocked down again, it is so brutal I was blown away by the amount of emotion, fear and sadness, that I felt for this, now, young man.

The author had a way of taking some dark and creating a beauty to it. It was brought to life, showing just how one can survive and maintain a life, even in the worst conditions. I was instantly drawn to the main character and felt for him. I wanted to see hime succeed and loved watching as he grew and showed his intellect and tenacity, evening if he made mistakes.

Overall, this is a brutal read, but one filled with hope, just not the kind you are used to. I loved it! ( )

This is the first book I got from NetGalley to review and it is so worth it! I finished it in 3 days! Definitely one of my new favorites.

***This book started out with all types of feels. Sympathy, empathy, hopelessness, vulnerability, fear, rage, overwhelming sadness, this is a very emotional book with graphic details***
I genuinely had to put it down after the prologue for a few minutes and collect myself.
Opening with Tony, a kid just wanting to fit in and be a part of something bigger, gets bullied by a group of cruel boys and torment him to near death. This is a story of survival through and through. The prologue was short but still depicted the incident very real, true dark horror. I actually cried and I'm not even on Chapter 1?
Not only does Tony get bullied by kids, but his home life isn't too happy either. His father, an abusive alcohol and his scared but loving mother. Her language and protection of her son are a little comic relief.
Some of the feelings adults get are very heart shattering hearing from a defenseless child. I can't imagine the psychological problems these horrible events would have. His moral fiber giving him the courage to stick up for other bullied kids.
The roller coaster of emotions let's you get a little break as it seems Tony's life is starting to look up a little as he goes on to 7th grade. Mafia! Crime bosses! Teenage bodyguards, murder, prison, torture, isolation, friendship, and hardships. Yeah I said a little break, but now this emotional rollercoaster is at full speed and lost a wheel.
Tony learns through these hardships from his family, friends, criminals, the homeless, junkies, a gang, the mafia, and his first love, what it means to appreciate the little that you have. ( )

I found "Mean Little People" by Paige Dearth to be a bit of a hard read. The writing is good and so is the story line but the things Tony had to go through were difficult to read and I had to keep putting the book down.
Tony has had a hard life from the very beginning. He is bullied by other school children and faces abuse at home. After finally being kicked out from his home at the young age of 13, Tony tries desperately to find a place he can call home but keeps going down the wrong path.
I kept reading because I was interested in Tony's story and I just wanted to hug him and bring him home but the things he went through were hard to absorb. I understand and respect that it was what the author intended and it does make you feel uncomfortable. The horror here is the depth of human depravity. We don't need monsters; they are alive and well in human form. I am interested in hearing more of Tony's story.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review. ( )