An urban coming-of-age story about four friends from high school: Taron, Jamal, Stephanie, and Lisa. The story follows the friends through college as two of them graduate and enter the real world, one is murdered,and the fourth one is falsely accused of the crime. Get your Signed copy today! Other options: Buy your copy! Amazon Amazon.co.uk Froogle Barnes & Noble.com Various Bookstores in U.S. Alonda Alloway's debut novel, JUST IN CASE, is an urban tale of a young boy, Taron, struggling to become a man. As Taron tries to find his way, he loses touch with those closest to him. Through love and hate, Taron learns the hard way that the measure of a man is not determined by the number of his conquests. In an unexpected ending, Taron Finds that his change of heart comes too little too late, as the trail of deception and pain of his past, leads him to a bloody, uncertain future.

What Does it Mean to be a Man?
Just in Case is a gritty coming of age tale that follows the lives of a group of high school friends as they enter into early adulthood. The story begins when Taron, a star athlete and ladies man at his high school, continues his efforts to get a date with Lisa. In Taron's eyes, Lisa is different from the other girls at school, many of whom are constantly throwing themselves at him. Lisa is more standoffish and more of a challenge. Eventually, he wins her heart, but will he be able to keep it?





Jamal is Taron's best friend and he is also an athlete. While Taron responds to his star status with a "big head", Jamal is more down to earth. Jamal is dating Stephanie and he is a committed boyfriend. Stephanie is a little closer to the wild side but relishes in the comfort of having a man she can trust. Will there relationship stand the test of time?





The family lives of the four characters are as different as night and day. Taron is extremely close to his mother, protective of his younger sister and resentful toward the father that abandoned their family. Taron's resentment often spills over into the interactions with his father, as a result, their relationship is strained at best. Jamal and Lisa come from two-parent families that seem to be more stable and supportive, while Stephanie's family life is nothing short of chaotic.





As the story progresses, we see the four friends leave high school and move on with their lives. Each character struggles to find a place in life and encounters many bumps along the way. They are faced with any number of temptations, and they don't always make the right decisions. The characters are well balanced, all of them having certain strengths and weaknesses and this made the story seem more realistic.





Alloway has written a novel that many young adults will identify with. The characters struggle with issues that many young African Americans face such as sex, drugs, domestic violence, and teen pregnancy. In addition, she demonstrates the stress that many young adults face as they adjust to the new freedoms of college life, academic pressures, and the strains of growing up and sometimes apart from old friends. Alloway also demonstrates through the character's lives, how the choices we make impact our lives. This was an enjoyable yet true to life read. The ending however, leaves you with a lot of unanswered questions, so I hope to see a sequel to this book in the future.





by Stacey Seay (Rawsistaz Reviewer)