(My review posted to Amazon.com)

Coming of Age in a Dangerous World

Kim Reid's No Place Safe is an up-close-and-personal account of the Atlanta Child Murders. Kim Reid was thirteen years-old when the Atlanta Child Murders began in 1979. Her world was turned upside-down as she and her younger sister adjusted to new safety measures that stifled the carefree life most children experienced when not under the constant threat of a serial killer. Her mother's role, as a Task Force investigator on the case, increased Reid's awareness beyond that of any child and most adults. Despite the dangers that lurked around her, Reid was able to enjoy, and in some cases, endure basic rites of passage common to all children: babysitting a younger sibling, puberty, making out at house parties, trying to fit in at a new school and holding down a part-time job.

Kim Reid offers a unique perspective of this event as a young teenage daughter of an investigator in No Place Safe. She exposes the full range of fear, anger, uncertainty, frustration and small pockets of joy that she, her family and the community felt throughout this time period. Her depiction of the city and suburbs of Atlanta is as alive and vivid as any human character she portrays. Readers will appreciate and applaud Kim Reid's ability to enjoy the basic beauty of life only seen through the eyes of a young person under very frightening conditions. Book groups will enjoy the the discussion questions available at the end of the book which touch upon a number of thought-provoking themes presented in the story. This book is highly recommended for anyone curious about the impact and influence of the Atlanta Child Murders on children of that era.

Reviewed by M. P. McKinney
APOOO BookClub

( )

From the minute I picked this book up until I finished it, I was engrossed in Kim Reid's life growing up in Atlanta in the late 70's/early 80's. There are a lot of references to music, fashion and other things that were popular back then, and it was fun to read about Kim enjoying the same things that I did during that same time period. Her story centers around the Atlanta Child Murders that occurred over a three year time period, from 1979 to 1982. Kim's mother was a police officer/detective and was assigned to the task force that was formed to investigate the murders. Kim's mother did not share a whole lot of information with Kim and her sister, Bridgette, but she did what she could do as a single mom to take care of her girls during that time. Kim was there for her mother whenever she would get home after a rough day of searching/interrogating, and would often be more like a friend to her rather than a daughter. During this time, Kim and her sister were not allowed to do most of the things that they used to enjoy doing. Kim loved to play basketball out in the street at dusk in the summertime, loved to go to parties in her neighborhood, and go shopping. One by one, all of those things were "taken away" because of the murders. Although Kim resented her mother for making the new rules and working long, hard hours, she constantly reminded herself of what the effect of the murders was having on her mother. Kim Reid's memoir is honest, gritty and unforgettable. She experienced a lot of turmoil during her junior high/high school years...having to grow up fast and be the adult to her sister, get a job and help her mother with the bills, and be a teenager all at the same time. She held her head up high and was proud of who she was, where she lived, and who her mother was. This is a beautifully written memoir. Anyone who loves memoirs like I do will love it. It is an unforgettable story written by a very talented author. ( )