Keisha The Sket

Whatever Trigger warning this book contains descriptions of a sexual nature as well as rape, drug abuse, and domestic violence.

Keisha the Sket by Jade LB - published by Mekty books on 14th October 2021. This is possibly one of the first books I read without realising i was reading a book. This was the first E-book, distributed by Nokia text chain (at least that's how I got it) . Many got the pages from the internet, early old school social media sites - msn, etc.

Okay, so where to start Keisha The Sket (KTS). The still anonymous author known as Jade LB, describes KTS ‘as a story about a girl who, despite the ways in which she was deemed  socially undesirable found love.’ The original pages were written by Jade between the ages of 13-15. 

The teenage me reading this story saw it as something (now I look back, the world is literature) that reflected the life in which I was surrounded by, it depicted, conditioned, and taught me how to navigate this world, from my conception of being ‘That Guy’ to interacting with women, although I didn't know it, it was my first instant of representation in literature without actually realising it. it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

For those of you who may not have had the chance to read the original story, fear not! Jade LB in this book has published 2 versions of KTS, the original version that circulated via our mobile phones, and early social media sites. And the second version, is an updated version with Jade re-reading her work and giving it a conclusion as well as writing now as an individual with a lot more experiences and understanding of the world around her.

 KTS is based in London with a familiar backdrop of Dalston, Tottenham, Hackney, Brixton and other familiar places, and it follows the life of Keisha, a 17 year old Black girl, and her exploits as she grows. Keisha gets herself in some sticky situations that lead to some tough decisions with even tougher repercussions, and has to find ways of navigating her way around them. The nostalgic value of this book is high. From the use of the slang (have urbandictionary.com at hand if you aren't familiar with the words and terms) to the general feeling of recalling where you were when you read this, how it felt at that age, how it reflected what was going on around you (maybe not as deep, but enough to make you want to share it)

I think the bigger thing here is the conversations this book has the ability to start. The contains essays from some of our literary G’s - Candice Carty- Williams, Caleb Femi, Aniefolk Ekpoudom, and artist ENNY.

These sets of essays really give hindsight to some of the things I was reading that I didn't really grasp properly until re-reading it as an adult, and muling over these essays. Multiple questions arise about - the portrayal of Black women in media, and how it influenced the story narrative, the rape culture, toxic masculinity, sterotypes, and so many more.

The essay’s plus the finished version of KTS almost feels like a perfect way to really wrap up this story. (the original story was left on a cliffhanger, it's all MENTAL) Its like breakfast, dinner and dessert, and the conversations that can be had from this is like after 8.

I urge EVERYONE to read this, and have relevant discussions around this book, the ideas, the story, the terminology, everything. I believe this is so much more than a story. This is possibly to me one of the best moves in publishing, and with the time and age we are currently sitting in, this will encourage so many young (non-readers) people to read. Why? Because they understand this story, the language, the thought process, all of it.

 Thank you Jade LB.

BUY YOUR COPY NOW!!