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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
This review was originally posted to my blog - Bookish as a part of the MEN in YA event
When I first heard that 50 Cent wrote a book I was utterly baffled. I mean, seriously? 50 Cent? Writing Young Adult books? It was like trying to imagine Snoop Dog singing in opera, the idea was ridiculous. I'm not a fan of 50 Cent, I don't think I ever listened to any of his songs.. I admit, I don't know much about him as a person, either. It's just that.. he never really struck me as the writing type (if you know what I mean). I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. But at the same time, I was insanely curious about this book! Who wouldn't be? The best part? I really enjoyed reading it! Believable, funny, insightful - Playground made a very positive impression on me. Color me surprised!
13-year-old Butterball doesn't have an easy life. After his parents divorced and his mom moved them away from Bronx to Garden City, Butterball finds himself struggling to adapt to the new environment. Back in Bronx he was someone, he had a group of friends and he was respected by others. Here, he's just the fat, black kid. He lives with his mother, but she's too busy working to spend quality time with him. His father doesn't care much about him, either. He's way too busy pursuing meaningless, purely physical "relationships" to ever pay attention to his son. Butterball is all on his own. Then one day he gets in trouble for assaulting a kid with a sock full of batteries, a kid that used to be Butterball's only friend there. After that, he's forced to attend weekly sessions with a psychologist. Butterball's initial attitude of "I-don't-want-to-talk-about-it" and "you-would-never-understand" begins to change over time, as the psychologist's patient and non-judgmental approach slowly wins his trust. As the story progresses, we learn more about the main character and the motives behind his actions. After all, there's no smoke without fire, and there's definitely more to Butterball than meets the eye.
Playground is a book about bullying, yes, but not a typical one at all. From my experience, most of the bullying-related books out there are focused solely on the victims and their accounts of the accidents. Playground, however, offers something different - the bully's side of the story. Now you ought to know that I went into reading this book with curiosity but also a healthy dose of skepticism. I was afraid that it will turn out to be a major failure. I was prepared to toss it away after the first 20 pages or so. But it never happened. I loved Butterball's believable and often hilarious voice. It was vibrant, full of life and dripping with all sorts of emotions. He turned out to be a great character to read about. Slang, swear words, short sentences and simple vocabulary - all that helped to depict him. I enjoyed seeing the world through his eyes and, believe it or not, I really felt sorry for him at times. Imagine my surprise, when I hit the back cover without even realizing that I was reading for the whole day - without a single break!
Now I don't know if 50 Cent hired a ghostwriter to do all the hard work, and it really doesn't matter. All I know is this book is damn good! It's deeper than I ever expected. It offers a fresh new take on the issue of bullying, one that I found quite thought-provoking and eye-opening. The writing itself is pretty good, too. The characters are well-drawn. The plot is simple, but well thought-out and fast-paced. It's an easy, quick read, but also quite a meaningful one. Don't let your prejudices stop you from reading it, it's definitely worth picking up!
When I first heard that 50 Cent wrote a book I was utterly baffled. I mean, seriously? 50 Cent? Writing Young Adult books? It was like trying to imagine Snoop Dog singing in opera, the idea was ridiculous. I'm not a fan of 50 Cent, I don't think I ever listened to any of his songs.. I admit, I don't know much about him as a person, either. It's just that.. he never really struck me as the writing type (if you know what I mean). I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. But at the same time, I was insanely curious about this book! Who wouldn't be? The best part? I really enjoyed reading it! Believable, funny, insightful - Playground made a very positive impression on me. Color me surprised!
13-year-old Butterball doesn't have an easy life. After his parents divorced and his mom moved them away from Bronx to Garden City, Butterball finds himself struggling to adapt to the new environment. Back in Bronx he was someone, he had a group of friends and he was respected by others. Here, he's just the fat, black kid. He lives with his mother, but she's too busy working to spend quality time with him. His father doesn't care much about him, either. He's way too busy pursuing meaningless, purely physical "relationships" to ever pay attention to his son. Butterball is all on his own. Then one day he gets in trouble for assaulting a kid with a sock full of batteries, a kid that used to be Butterball's only friend there. After that, he's forced to attend weekly sessions with a psychologist. Butterball's initial attitude of "I-don't-want-to-talk-about-it" and "you-would-never-understand" begins to change over time, as the psychologist's patient and non-judgmental approach slowly wins his trust. As the story progresses, we learn more about the main character and the motives behind his actions. After all, there's no smoke without fire, and there's definitely more to Butterball than meets the eye.
Playground is a book about bullying, yes, but not a typical one at all. From my experience, most of the bullying-related books out there are focused solely on the victims and their accounts of the accidents. Playground, however, offers something different - the bully's side of the story. Now you ought to know that I went into reading this book with curiosity but also a healthy dose of skepticism. I was afraid that it will turn out to be a major failure. I was prepared to toss it away after the first 20 pages or so. But it never happened. I loved Butterball's believable and often hilarious voice. It was vibrant, full of life and dripping with all sorts of emotions. He turned out to be a great character to read about. Slang, swear words, short sentences and simple vocabulary - all that helped to depict him. I enjoyed seeing the world through his eyes and, believe it or not, I really felt sorry for him at times. Imagine my surprise, when I hit the back cover without even realizing that I was reading for the whole day - without a single break!
Now I don't know if 50 Cent hired a ghostwriter to do all the hard work, and it really doesn't matter. All I know is this book is damn good! It's deeper than I ever expected. It offers a fresh new take on the issue of bullying, one that I found quite thought-provoking and eye-opening. The writing itself is pretty good, too. The characters are well-drawn. The plot is simple, but well thought-out and fast-paced. It's an easy, quick read, but also quite a meaningful one. Don't let your prejudices stop you from reading it, it's definitely worth picking up!
This book is more about a kid having trouble with change in his life than about bullying. But it's still a topic that needs to be talked about
You know what? I was pleasantly surprised by this one. There's a lot going on here-- bullying, the mentality behind it, the need to set things to right, and a bit of a twist that makes it even more compelling. Good job, sir. I'd definitely want to put this in a classroom library if I could.
Playground is Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s debut young adult novel about teen bullying. He explores this topical issue by sharing some of his own experiences in this fictionalized story. He hopes to reach out to kids to show how bullies are created and that there is hope to overcome it. As a parent, I’m very interested in this topic and was curious to read a story written from the bully’s perspective as a fresh change of pace.
The story is narrated by thirteen-year-old Butterball, nicknamed because of his weight, who lives with his over-worked mother post-split in a Long Island suburb. His father remains in the city where he seems to have more time for his girlfriends than for him. Butterball gets in trouble at school for hitting a kid, his only friend, with D batteries wrapped inside a sock. After that incident, he must attend weekly sessions with a psychologist to get to the bottom of his behavioral issues. The details of what set Butterball off are revealed through the weekly sessions with Liz.
Butterball is a sympathetic character that I think many teens will relate to. After his parent’s split he has to start again in a new neighborhood and school where he is the outsider. The only time he does get respect and positive attention from his peers is when he attacks a fellow student. Even his father seems to like the new bullying ways of his son. The dialogue is realistic and edgy with an uncondescending tone that gets the message across. The language is explicit at times but appropriate to the story and since it is not toned down it is more relatable to the intended audience.
There are many issues presented in the book that go hand in hand with the bullying behavior such as divorce, consumerism, diet and more. I thought these issues were handled with sensitivity and not in a preachy way. It’s interesting to see the circumstances that lead to Butterball’s acting out and it made me more sympathetic to those who exhibit the same behavior. The therapy session storytelling device works well and gives a healing quality to the story.
Dwayne Clark effectively handles the narration and kept the audiobook entertaining throughout. The reading is very lively and the character voices are distinct and believable. At only four hours long, the audiobook is the perfect length for the story and the time flies by.
With bullying now such an epidemic, I appreciate what 50 Cent set out to do with this story. With understanding and respect for the target audience, the thoughtful story has a hopeful tone that may inspire others like Butterball. Recommended for middle schooler’s, parents and educators looking for insight into the mind of a bully.
The story is narrated by thirteen-year-old Butterball, nicknamed because of his weight, who lives with his over-worked mother post-split in a Long Island suburb. His father remains in the city where he seems to have more time for his girlfriends than for him. Butterball gets in trouble at school for hitting a kid, his only friend, with D batteries wrapped inside a sock. After that incident, he must attend weekly sessions with a psychologist to get to the bottom of his behavioral issues. The details of what set Butterball off are revealed through the weekly sessions with Liz.
Butterball is a sympathetic character that I think many teens will relate to. After his parent’s split he has to start again in a new neighborhood and school where he is the outsider. The only time he does get respect and positive attention from his peers is when he attacks a fellow student. Even his father seems to like the new bullying ways of his son. The dialogue is realistic and edgy with an uncondescending tone that gets the message across. The language is explicit at times but appropriate to the story and since it is not toned down it is more relatable to the intended audience.
There are many issues presented in the book that go hand in hand with the bullying behavior such as divorce, consumerism, diet and more. I thought these issues were handled with sensitivity and not in a preachy way. It’s interesting to see the circumstances that lead to Butterball’s acting out and it made me more sympathetic to those who exhibit the same behavior. The therapy session storytelling device works well and gives a healing quality to the story.
Dwayne Clark effectively handles the narration and kept the audiobook entertaining throughout. The reading is very lively and the character voices are distinct and believable. At only four hours long, the audiobook is the perfect length for the story and the time flies by.
With bullying now such an epidemic, I appreciate what 50 Cent set out to do with this story. With understanding and respect for the target audience, the thoughtful story has a hopeful tone that may inspire others like Butterball. Recommended for middle schooler’s, parents and educators looking for insight into the mind of a bully.
I won’t lie, when I first heard that 50 Cent had a book out about bullying, I was skeptical, thinking why not leave writing to the real authors. But on further consideration, I thought I would give Playground a chance as I enjoy 50 Cent’s music AND I think that there is an audience for Playground.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
Lad mig starte med at sige, at jeg var utrolig skeptisk med denne bog. For det første er det ikke en genre jeg normalt læse, men jeg er altid åben for nye ting. Men min nysgerrighed blev vagt da jeg så at 50 Cent var forfatteren. Jeg tror at alle har hørt om 50 Cent, nok ikke som forfatter men som rapper. Min første tanke var, kan han skrive?
Historien er inspireret af 50 Cent’s egen hårde barndom i ghettoen, og om hvordan gruppepres og mobning kan påvirke et barn.
Selve sproget er ikke det mest indviklede, men det ville heller ikke passe til bogen, da det bliver fortalt af den 13 årige Butterball. Oversætteren har formået at få ghettoens sprog og udtryk godt ind i den danske udgave.
Butterball er overvægtig, hvilket udsætter ham for mobning, han er sort og fattig, hvilket får ham til at hænge ud med de “forkerte” typer, og det er her at gruppepresset kommer ind. Historien drejer som om et overfald, han overfalder sin tidligere ven, og bliver sent til psykolog for ikke at blive smidt ud af skolen. Han synes psykologen, Liz, er dum og ikke fatter noget som helst, men det tror jeg nu hun gør.
Vi følger hans samtaler hos hende to dage om ugen, samt hans hverdag både i og uden for skolen. Han er vred og frustreret, og har ingen han egentlig kan tale med om det, udover psykologen.
Bogen udvikler sig i et fast tempo, og man får et godt indblik i ghettoens hårde miljø, og en mors kamp for at komme igennem hverdagen og passe på sin søn. Det er svært at skrive for meget, uden at afsløre noget af selve handlingen. Men bogen er utrolig god, velskrevet og giver stof til eftertanke!
Historien er inspireret af 50 Cent’s egen hårde barndom i ghettoen, og om hvordan gruppepres og mobning kan påvirke et barn.
Selve sproget er ikke det mest indviklede, men det ville heller ikke passe til bogen, da det bliver fortalt af den 13 årige Butterball. Oversætteren har formået at få ghettoens sprog og udtryk godt ind i den danske udgave.
Butterball er overvægtig, hvilket udsætter ham for mobning, han er sort og fattig, hvilket får ham til at hænge ud med de “forkerte” typer, og det er her at gruppepresset kommer ind. Historien drejer som om et overfald, han overfalder sin tidligere ven, og bliver sent til psykolog for ikke at blive smidt ud af skolen. Han synes psykologen, Liz, er dum og ikke fatter noget som helst, men det tror jeg nu hun gør.
Vi følger hans samtaler hos hende to dage om ugen, samt hans hverdag både i og uden for skolen. Han er vred og frustreret, og har ingen han egentlig kan tale med om det, udover psykologen.
Bogen udvikler sig i et fast tempo, og man får et godt indblik i ghettoens hårde miljø, og en mors kamp for at komme igennem hverdagen og passe på sin søn. Det er svært at skrive for meget, uden at afsløre noget af selve handlingen. Men bogen er utrolig god, velskrevet og giver stof til eftertanke!
The best part about this book is that it sounds like a middle-school kid talking. The other best part is the author. I mean, really. Really good book about what sometimes leads to bullying. I would totally recommend this to just about anyone, as long as they aren't going to get all crabby about there being quite a lot of "ass"ing and so forth in the book.
I didn't get the point of this book. Rise up above bullying? When he bullies online all the time. Pursue your dreams? The plot is loose. The theme of this story is mixed and can be argued that the author don't even know. It feels the author wanted to tell a story that didn't have a central purpose.
I guess if someone would know about bullying, it would be 50 Cent...
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book by hip-hop star 50 Cent. It is mostly based on his own life experiences but he also takes some artistic license as an author. It is the tale of 13-year-old Butterball who really doesn't have much going for him. He's overweight. He's currently living in the suburbs with his mom. He misses his dad and living in New York City. When Butterball beats up a kid on the playground one day, he is forced to go talk to a counselor twice a week. An insightful look at bullying; it also has an LGBT plotline that does not become evident until near the end.