Orphea Proud.(Brief Article)(Young Adult)(Book Review)

Orphea Proud by Sharon Dennis Wyeth Delacorte Press, November 2004, $15.95, ISBN 0-385-32497-9

It's Showtime and Orphea Proud is our star performer and we are her audience. Orphea's supporting cast is a patchwork of sorts, who are all revealed during her presentation at Club Nirvana.

Although the term coming-of-age is terribly overused, it is befitting of this young girl's journey through life. Orphea is the daughter of Nadine and Reverend Apollo Jones. By the time she is eight, Orphea is orphaned and left in the care of her conservative older brother, Rupert.

You can't help who you love or the person that you are. These are lessons that Orphea …