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ostrowk's review against another edition
4.0
"I was a little nervous, but I was ready to say good-bye to Rise and to tell him that he was the one who had to finish the book, not me. He had to get his own images together and his own style and decide who he wanted to be. It didn't matter if he couldn't draw well, because only he knew what the person he wanted to be would look like. I knew who I wanted him to be and so did a lot of people, but that wasn't good enough" (198).
Walter Dean Myers is a miracle; MY DEAD BROTHER ruled. I wish I could put this in the hands of every middle school boy, especially those at highest risk of falling in with a gang. It felt so real it hurt. In the same way that Reynolds' LONG WAY DOWN hits hard, this book describes with stunning precision the pain of watching others around you start turning into different people—people who make bad, dangerous decisions—as you struggle to define yourself. Jesse with his sketchbook, like C.J. with his piano, beautifully questions that life with the kind of generosity of spirit that comes from being so close to it.
Walter Dean Myers is a miracle; MY DEAD BROTHER ruled. I wish I could put this in the hands of every middle school boy, especially those at highest risk of falling in with a gang. It felt so real it hurt. In the same way that Reynolds' LONG WAY DOWN hits hard, this book describes with stunning precision the pain of watching others around you start turning into different people—people who make bad, dangerous decisions—as you struggle to define yourself. Jesse with his sketchbook, like C.J. with his piano, beautifully questions that life with the kind of generosity of spirit that comes from being so close to it.
crowyhead's review against another edition
4.0
Walter Dean Myers has done it again. This is the touching, realistic story of a young man, Jesse, growing up in a neighborhood fraught with violence, who must rely on his family, friends, and his own good sense in order to survive and prosper. When his oldest friend, Rise, starts getting involved in drug-dealing and violent crime, Jesse is almost unsure whether to truly believe it's happening, since Rise has always spoken out against drugs and gangs. But Rise thinks he sees a way to get out of the neighborhood, a way to make something of himself, and Jesse must decide exactly where his loyalties lie. One of the highlights of the book is that Jesse is a budding artist, and Walter Dean Myers's son, Christopher Myers, has amply illustrated this novel with Jesse's illustrations, notebook doodles, and comic strips. It's a wonderful, realistic book, and it's beautifully executed.
showthisbooksomelove's review against another edition
4.0
The last Myers’ book I read was Monster in high school. When I saw this book, I knew I had to circle back around to an excellent author to whom I haven’t given enough of my time yet. I was not disappointed. Myers writes about growing up, having friends, trying to impress parents, trying to impress girls, and the relationship between young black men and cops.
Jesse is a young man finding his way through his art. He shares his sketches with his good friend Rise, who asks him to make an autobiography through art, in a graphic novel format. Jesse agrees, and sifts through memories, digging up the past and writing through his eyes. Rise loves it, and wants his name to be known. But its not the only project he’s involved in. Rise starts talking about turning their club into more of a gang type group. He starts talking about guns and violence and protection for their neighborhood. Jesse isn’t so sure, and wants them to stay out of it all.
This is an easy read and a heavy story. This story speaks the truth; everybody’s relationships are different and people are constantly changing. Growing up is a hard process, and it may feel even harder for so many black men growing up where the world is out to get you. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
The writing flows on the page, and I loved the sketches Myers adds in drawn by his son. The book is formatted so that the words flow around the sketches, creating a beautiful aesthetic that carries throughout the story. It’s very fitting for the storyline as well, showing Jesse’s take through his drawings. I haven’t read anything quite like this in a while. I would absolutely recommend this book for everyone.
Jesse is a young man finding his way through his art. He shares his sketches with his good friend Rise, who asks him to make an autobiography through art, in a graphic novel format. Jesse agrees, and sifts through memories, digging up the past and writing through his eyes. Rise loves it, and wants his name to be known. But its not the only project he’s involved in. Rise starts talking about turning their club into more of a gang type group. He starts talking about guns and violence and protection for their neighborhood. Jesse isn’t so sure, and wants them to stay out of it all.
This is an easy read and a heavy story. This story speaks the truth; everybody’s relationships are different and people are constantly changing. Growing up is a hard process, and it may feel even harder for so many black men growing up where the world is out to get you. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
The writing flows on the page, and I loved the sketches Myers adds in drawn by his son. The book is formatted so that the words flow around the sketches, creating a beautiful aesthetic that carries throughout the story. It’s very fitting for the storyline as well, showing Jesse’s take through his drawings. I haven’t read anything quite like this in a while. I would absolutely recommend this book for everyone.
cass1233's review against another edition
2.0
This book is rather depressing. It is written in first person and is about a teenage African-American boy, named Jesse, growing up in Harlem. He is a pretty good kid and is part of a club called The Counts. His best friends name is Rise, and the book documents how Rise changes and brings a lot of turmoil to the neighborhood the boys live in. Jesse is an artist and he begins drawing pictures of Rise to try to figure out what is going on with him. Rise likes the pictures and asks Jesse to write his biography. Eventually, Rise informs Jesse that he is thinking about getting into drug dealing and working with a gang. Jesse still doesn't understand what is going on, and he knows he doesn't want to be involved in what Rise is getting into. But, Jesse doesn't stand up to Rise and try to stop him either. Eventually, The Counts are called a gang in the newspaper, which causes Jesse's family to really worry about him. Rise continues to get weirder and weirder to Jesse, but he keeps writing the biography and painting his pictures. At the end of the story, Rise is caught by the police because he is suspected of shooting some guys from a gang called the Diablos. Jesse and some other guys are even brought in with him, but it is evident that they were part of an alibi. After Rise is released from jail, he calles Jesse to tell him that he is moving to Florida. Some of The Counts gather to tell Rise goodbye, but when Rise comes over he is shot in the street and killed. The last chapter of the book covers Rise's funeral and Jesse's final thoughts on the entire summer.
This book has been challenged or banned in many areas, so it would be difficult to use it in the classroom. It deals with a lot of touchy topics including gangs and drugs. It is a realistic story though and could possibly be used to warn teenagers of the dangers of getting involved in this kind of crime. The only way I would recommend this book to a student would be to run it by the parents first to make sure they would be alright with their child reading it.
This book has been challenged or banned in many areas, so it would be difficult to use it in the classroom. It deals with a lot of touchy topics including gangs and drugs. It is a realistic story though and could possibly be used to warn teenagers of the dangers of getting involved in this kind of crime. The only way I would recommend this book to a student would be to run it by the parents first to make sure they would be alright with their child reading it.
evamadera1's review against another edition
3.0
I have to admit that the only thing that I really enjoyed about this book was the illustrations that pepper almost every page. The narrative felt muddled and fluid, hard to pin down. I have come to the realization that while this is real life for many people and thus this book appeals to them, I do not fit into the target demographic. I finished the book with little clue as to what Myers wanted me as the reader to take away from the text. The book is well written. It's just not my cup of tea.
mariamareads's review against another edition
5.0
This book is so beautiful. I do wish it was longer though because then I could’ve connected with the characters more. The ending had me shook and I’ve read this two times and I’ve enjoyed it both times. You can either relate to it or you just feel bad and try to understand. It’s a great book.
bookishdea's review
2.0
It took me ages to read this book and I pretty much only finished it because I had to return it to the library. I've read other books by Walter Dean Meyers and quite enjoyed Monster, for instance, but I just didn't care for this one too much. The illustrations were well done and the comics were poignant, but all in all, I couldn't really bring myself to care for this book.
areadingrosekc's review
4.0
Good read, but I felt a bit disjointed at times like it didn't flow well.
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