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gracefulbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I am still trying to figure out if I want to rate this 4 or 5 stars so I'll come back to you with my official rating later but let me just say this book is...chef's kiss to put it simply. My boyfriend is the one who recommended this to me. We were just walking around Barnes & Noble and this was on a sales table and I was looking at them and he saw it on the table and said he enjoyed it and thought I would like it too. He doesn't like many books that aren't non-fiction so I knew I needed to pick it up.
Anyway, this is a story about a black teen named Steve Harmon. He is currently in jail under the charge of being apart of murder & robbery that happened in a drug store last year. We spend the story following the court case and reading from Steve's journal entries, it's also formatted like a movie script for one of Steve's films.
I really loved the formatting of this book, the court case was already really interesting but the formatting made it more accessible especially for someone like me who really does not know much about legal jargon and how court cases are fully run in real life. I only really watch court cases on television or in edited documentaries so I know bits and pieces but not the real thing. I had to do some research on certain terms used in the court but I enjoyed that learning process. But with that being said, the writing style was really accessible and made the pages fly by as well as the story.
I also just loved the bits and pieces that subtly pointed out some real issues our judicial system contains, and some subtle hints at the privilege experienced by some of the characters in this story. Also, bits and pieces that showed how Steve was not treated as though he was a kid, which he is...so many parts in this story are troubling and I felt frustrated here and there as a result of it. But that is a sign of a well-written story.
I also near the end of my book have an interview with the author Walter Dean Myers, may he rest in peace-I enjoyed reading through his answers and what he intended for this book, and one of his answers to the questions really stuck out to me. The truth of the case is kind of ambiguous (also the fact that Steve's creation was the result of Myers meeting many young boys who are in Steve's situation) As Steve never tells us his side of what happened throughout the story and as a result, we as the reader are just mainly going off of what we've seen Steve write and what is being used in the case as evidence. So in a sense we the readers are part of the jury-I really really enjoyed that aspect so much and think it made me feel much more involved with this book than I have with others.
I really think this is a good book to implement in school's as required reading and also personally just think it is a book that most should read in general.
Anyway, this is a story about a black teen named Steve Harmon. He is currently in jail under the charge of being apart of murder & robbery that happened in a drug store last year. We spend the story following the court case and reading from Steve's journal entries, it's also formatted like a movie script for one of Steve's films.
I really loved the formatting of this book, the court case was already really interesting but the formatting made it more accessible especially for someone like me who really does not know much about legal jargon and how court cases are fully run in real life. I only really watch court cases on television or in edited documentaries so I know bits and pieces but not the real thing. I had to do some research on certain terms used in the court but I enjoyed that learning process. But with that being said, the writing style was really accessible and made the pages fly by as well as the story.
I also just loved the bits and pieces that subtly pointed out some real issues our judicial system contains, and some subtle hints at the privilege experienced by some of the characters in this story. Also, bits and pieces that showed how Steve was not treated as though he was a kid, which he is...so many parts in this story are troubling and I felt frustrated here and there as a result of it. But that is a sign of a well-written story.
I also near the end of my book have an interview with the author Walter Dean Myers, may he rest in peace-I enjoyed reading through his answers and what he intended for this book, and one of his answers to the questions really stuck out to me. The truth of the case is kind of ambiguous (also the fact that Steve's creation was the result of Myers meeting many young boys who are in Steve's situation) As Steve never tells us his side of what happened throughout the story and as a result, we as the reader are just mainly going off of what we've seen Steve write and what is being used in the case as evidence. So in a sense we the readers are part of the jury-I really really enjoyed that aspect so much and think it made me feel much more involved with this book than I have with others.
I really think this is a good book to implement in school's as required reading and also personally just think it is a book that most should read in general.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
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