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Tyrell is a great character, and the book is a hugely popular one among ninth graders, who say that Tyrell's voice and story are real. I appreciate how Coe Booth creates a complex and multifaceted protagonist. Tyrell is both overly confident and insecure; he has different moral standards for himself vs. his girlfriend; and he is sure and confident about his future but nervous about the day-to-day.
I haven't talked with my students too much about what they think of Tyrell. Do they see him as a hero without flaws? Or do they recognize that the narrator may not be entirely reliable?
I haven't talked with my students too much about what they think of Tyrell. Do they see him as a hero without flaws? Or do they recognize that the narrator may not be entirely reliable?
This is a very well written book that kept tromping on my heart. Tyrell doesn't always make the choices that I wish for him, but I understood why he was doing what he was doing. Booth lets the reader know him so well through his thoughts and actions. He is a kid trying to be a man he can respect without a lot of help.
This is a book that I found difficult to read in that it just ripped up my heart watching things go from bad to worse. It's hard to wear Tyrell's shoes. The choices he has to make and the situations he faces are just so far beyond what we want teenagers to go through.
I am ready to see what he will make of himself in Bronxwood. I am glad there is another book.
This is a book that I found difficult to read in that it just ripped up my heart watching things go from bad to worse. It's hard to wear Tyrell's shoes. The choices he has to make and the situations he faces are just so far beyond what we want teenagers to go through.
I am ready to see what he will make of himself in Bronxwood. I am glad there is another book.
This book is a must read for anyone that thinks their own life is bad. It's a Young Adult book, but definitely is a wake up call. It was so good, my husband, who does not read anything except books about coaching, read it and he loved it.
"What time you gotta be at school?"
"Eight, but I wanna go early and talk to my teachers and explain why I missed so much school last week. I know they were wondering where I was."
"My teachers ain't even know my name," I say.
"I go to an alternative school. It's real small."
"Damn. Alternative schools is for bad kids. How bad was you?"
She turn 'round to face me. "I wasn't BAD," she say. "I was AT RISK!"
We both gotta laugh at that shit. Starting in first grade, them teachers took one look at me and started putting me in programs for at-risk kids, then at-risk boys, then at-risk teenagers. Personally, I ain't never knew what the fuck I was s'posed to be at risk of, except growing up Black, but ain't no program I know of gonna change that.
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I loved this book. Recommended for upper grade kids - there's cursing and sexual content. I love that Tyrell is shown as a real kid, with real hardships, and real faults. He's not a goody-goody, but you can see his essential goodness through his desire to help his 'moms' and his brother get out of the 'homeless hotel'. Booth accurately and affectionately portrays the struggles faced by people who don't have many choices in life and make do the best they can.
"Eight, but I wanna go early and talk to my teachers and explain why I missed so much school last week. I know they were wondering where I was."
"My teachers ain't even know my name," I say.
"I go to an alternative school. It's real small."
"Damn. Alternative schools is for bad kids. How bad was you?"
She turn 'round to face me. "I wasn't BAD," she say. "I was AT RISK!"
We both gotta laugh at that shit. Starting in first grade, them teachers took one look at me and started putting me in programs for at-risk kids, then at-risk boys, then at-risk teenagers. Personally, I ain't never knew what the fuck I was s'posed to be at risk of, except growing up Black, but ain't no program I know of gonna change that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I loved this book. Recommended for upper grade kids - there's cursing and sexual content. I love that Tyrell is shown as a real kid, with real hardships, and real faults. He's not a goody-goody, but you can see his essential goodness through his desire to help his 'moms' and his brother get out of the 'homeless hotel'. Booth accurately and affectionately portrays the struggles faced by people who don't have many choices in life and make do the best they can.
This book was so absorbing that I read it in two days. At times it seemed too long (310 pages), but it all takes place during one week of 15-year-old Tyrell's life when he and his mom and little brother are placed in a Bronx hotel for the homeless. His dad is in jail for the third time, and Tyrell's main goal is to make some money so they can get a real apartment and avoid the danger of being placed in foster care.
I'm always interested when authors write a main character of the opposite gender. If Coe Booth is accurate, I have a whole new window into what propels males when it comes to love, honor, and anger. There is plenty of language, and some sex, underage drinking, drug use and recollections of violence. But the voice is amazing. The book is written from Tyrell's point of view, and uses his (very urban) language. And I think some books romanticize poverty, but this one does a scary job of depicting its unending pressures, the things you do without, and the desperation of having "nowhere else to go."
VOYA called Tyrell "the definitive tale of the modern African American urban youth." I think older teen boys who don't normally read might really latch onto this book. It'd be an interesting pair with "The First Part Last."
I'm always interested when authors write a main character of the opposite gender. If Coe Booth is accurate, I have a whole new window into what propels males when it comes to love, honor, and anger. There is plenty of language, and some sex, underage drinking, drug use and recollections of violence. But the voice is amazing. The book is written from Tyrell's point of view, and uses his (very urban) language. And I think some books romanticize poverty, but this one does a scary job of depicting its unending pressures, the things you do without, and the desperation of having "nowhere else to go."
VOYA called Tyrell "the definitive tale of the modern African American urban youth." I think older teen boys who don't normally read might really latch onto this book. It'd be an interesting pair with "The First Part Last."
Really hated reading this book. I know that it is real, true, honest and gritty. And, I know that a lot of my own students are probably living that life. I just don't want to read about it. It is painful. I do see the value in it for others, and even for myself to the extent that it bolsters my own compassion for the students that I serve.
However, when I read, I want to escape. This genre is just a little too real for me to read for pleasure and say, "Oh, man! That was GREAT! I loved that book!"
Depressing.
So glad that Tyrell stood up to his mother in the end and made some, not great, but better choices for himself. Clearly, his choices were limited but he did the best he could do as a 15 yr. old in that situation could do. Glad that's over for me. Sad that it is reality for kids anywhere, especially the ones I work with. . .
However, when I read, I want to escape. This genre is just a little too real for me to read for pleasure and say, "Oh, man! That was GREAT! I loved that book!"
Depressing.
So glad that Tyrell stood up to his mother in the end and made some, not great, but better choices for himself. Clearly, his choices were limited but he did the best he could do as a 15 yr. old in that situation could do. Glad that's over for me. Sad that it is reality for kids anywhere, especially the ones I work with. . .
Although this was a good book (I probably would have given it 3 and a half) stars, I won't be putting it in my middle school library. :(
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Okay, plot and character-wise, this book wasn't all that bad. It was just the constant cursing and boy-and-girl-in-bed-together scenes that bugged me. But I realize this is life for some kids. And that's why I read it, to see things from the perspective of kids living in these situations. In that respect it was informative, but sad. Not a lot of hope at the end either, but it could have been worse I guess.
I found myself being much more drawn into this book than I expected. Booth is a welcome addition to YA lit. Tyrell has many of the problems found in "problem" novels, but nothing about this feels typical. Tyrell is a very well-developed character. I'm not a teenage boy but to me he seemed totally believable. The ending is also unlike the ending of any other YA novel I've ever read. Booth does not offer any easy hope or redemption for any of her characters, nor does she leave you depressed. This is also a great book for teen boys who are reluctant readers, but it is definitely for high school. Lots of swearing, a good amount of sex, and plenty of drinking and pot smoking. That said, I already handed this to one of my 10th graders who never reads and he started reading parts out loud to the other kids at his table.