Crazy Is As Crazy Does : Part 1

<p>Betrayed by the two people she trusted most-her man and her best friend-Amber Hayden can't help but compare her reaction to the erratic behavior of her schizophrenic mother. She doesn't like to admit it, but at the back of Amber's mind lurks a frightening thought: Will she wind up like her mother? The question stirs up memories of her childhood.</p> <p>The year is 1963. Across the road from the Haydens' home lies Ms. Lola's house of ill repute, a center of gambling and prostitution in Amber's inner-city neighborhood in Washington, DC. And that's where Amber runs whenever her home life gets too much.</p> <p>Amber tries to cling to some semblance of a normal life even as secrets pile up around her and her friends: Ms. Lola's talented son, Fats; her best friend, Chloe; and Fats's buddy Desi. These secrets cement Amber's friendship with Chloe but earn her Desi's hatred. When the secret forcing a wedge between Desi and Amber becomes too much for Desi to bear, he launches a potentially fatal scheme.</p> <p>A touching coming-of-age story about growing up in the shadow of mental illness, <i>Crazy Is as Crazy Does</i> fearlessly tackles themes too long considered taboo.</p>