Card House: The First Hand is an urban fiction/dramatic comedy by Author J. Maurice based on a family from the communities of Chicago who has all individually been dealt their own fair share of "bad hands". The story is told in the words of Alicia, the middle daughter in the Yarbrough family who is living a secret life alongside her physically abusive boyfriend J-Ace, all while serving as a crutch...for her older sister who is fighting to save her marriage as she battles her life altering addiction. Simultaneously, the youngest sister, Denise receives praise and guidance from their father, James now that she has graduated from high school, yet he insists on channeling his bitter rage toward his son, Junior who has returned from Iraq instead of acknowledging his own unspeakable past which soon resurfaces...and that's only a few face cards out of the suit!Card House was written to be entertaining, but also to be something to reflect on and as a means to heal the inner pains and disappointments of the past so that you can learn to forgive and also laugh at the moments that were once painful.