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heykellyjensen's review against another edition
This book holds up. Tyrell is a fabulous, fully-fleshed main character who wants nothing more than to find his place when everything he's known has either been unstable or pulled out from beneath him. His love for his younger brother and the pulls he feels about which girl he wants to be with are real and raw. Excellent urban fiction which, even 12 years on, holds up and has clear appeal for teen readers.
kariadams's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. A hard look at what life is like in the inner city. Just a great book.
addumitriu's review against another edition
4.0
Tyrell was definitely an interesting read. It was very much different from what I usually read. I liked that it was written the way it is meant to be spoken. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I was really rooting for Tyrell throughout the entire book although he disappointed me at times.
cozylifewithabby's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Cursing, and Racism
This book was a tough read. It brings up many difficult topics and I can see it as a great book for teens who might be going through some of the same situations, but I don't know how I feel about the overall message.reisingvote's review against another edition
3.0
My students love this book. For me, it was just okay. I understand why male students, epecially, like it. It has an interesting plot and addresses a lot of issues that they can relate to.
afro75's review against another edition
4.0
Tyrell is a 15 year old homeless boy struggling to keep his family together after his father is incarcerated. He stays in a roach infested hotel with his mother and brother while they wait for housing. Tyrell's living situation is made even more tenuous by his mother's previous housing scams. His mother's refusal to accept any responsibility for his younger brother, or the current state of their family, drives Tyrell to try and find a way out of their current crisis. Ms. Coe pens a good read depicting the different voices many young men must sift through in order to make a path to a brighter future. This novel doesn't end in an exactly healthy place. The reader is left waiting to see how the rest of Tyrell's story ends. This would be a great read for teens or tweens who enjoy realistic fiction.
kevinhendricks's review against another edition
3.0
This is a ghetto story of a washed up family in a shelter and 15-year-old Tyrell trying to work his way out. It’s written in an ebonics style and pretty raw. I almost gave up due to the language and sex, but I stuck it out. It’s a pretty honest portrayal of life in the projects (or worse).
devafagan's review against another edition
A painful but honest and moving narrative that almost left me feeling broken but held out just enough hope to get by on. Tyrell himself is a fascinating character with real flaws and strengths. Too often characters have "flaws" that aren't really flaws, or else their flaws are real but make them inaccessible. I really cared about Tyrell even as I saw him making mistakes, and I cheered when he succeeded.
Note: Quite a lot of mature content. Appropriate for the story, but be warned.
Note: Quite a lot of mature content. Appropriate for the story, but be warned.