Based on his bestselling Animal series comes Kwan's highly anticipated
prequel, Animal: The Beginning.
What happens to the children that the world throws away? They become
Animals. Tayshawn Torres is a child born in the slums and cursed by the
sins of his parents. His mother is a notorious drug addict and whore,
more concerned with getting her next high than she is with his
well-being. His stepfather hates him so much, that he literally treats
him like an animal. Tayshawn is forced to sleep in a cage and scavenge
for scraps of food wherever he can find them. Because of his squalid
appearance, he is also the object of ridicule by all of the neighborhood
kids who have given the nickname, Animal.
The only person to ever show him even the slightest bit of kindness is
his older brother, Justice. Justice keeps him out of harm's way the best
he can. However, when Justice is taken from his life, Tayshawn finds he
is alone in the streets. With his guardian angel gone, he is now at the
mercy of the world Justice tried to protect him from.
Tayshawn quickly learns that if he is to survive the jungle, he will
have to adapt. Love and companionship constantly elude Tayshawn, but
death and heartache cling to him like a second skin. Gradually, the
layers of the frightened child he had been are stripped away until there
is nothing left of Tayshawn, and all that remains is, Animal.
