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moeshasdiary's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
earlier i watched the short film chaining day and found out at the end that it was a true story. having an inquiring mind that naturally lead me to google which lead me to wikipedia which lead me to this book. this entire story is heartbreaking and shocking all around. yummy was a kid. shavon was a kid. i'm going to learn more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse
sjj169's review
4.0
This graphic novel was based on the true story of Robert Sandifer aka Yummy (nicknamed for his love of candy bars and cookies) He was 11 years old.
Told from the point of view of a neighborhood boy this book was heartbreaking. It made it even worse because I knew it was a true story.
Yummy wanted to belong, his dad was in prison and his mom in and out of jail for drugs and prostitution. She lost custody of her kids and Yummy's grandmother was raising him. Along with most of the rest of her grandchildren. Yummy slipped out a whole lot and wanted to be in the local gang. They took him in because at 11 he wouldn't be charged as a felon for his crimes.
One day Yummy pulls his gun on a rival gang, but one of the neighborhood girls is killed instead. She wasn't doing anything wrong. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
This book doesn't take sides. Yummy's bad is shown along with his good. Then the victim Shavon is treated with respect also.
I had never heard of this book before now, it's a powerful one. The black and white artwork makes the story come alive and the words break you as you know what's coming but hope to somehow make it change.
Told from the point of view of a neighborhood boy this book was heartbreaking. It made it even worse because I knew it was a true story.
Yummy wanted to belong, his dad was in prison and his mom in and out of jail for drugs and prostitution. She lost custody of her kids and Yummy's grandmother was raising him. Along with most of the rest of her grandchildren. Yummy slipped out a whole lot and wanted to be in the local gang. They took him in because at 11 he wouldn't be charged as a felon for his crimes.
One day Yummy pulls his gun on a rival gang, but one of the neighborhood girls is killed instead. She wasn't doing anything wrong. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
This book doesn't take sides. Yummy's bad is shown along with his good. Then the victim Shavon is treated with respect also.
I had never heard of this book before now, it's a powerful one. The black and white artwork makes the story come alive and the words break you as you know what's coming but hope to somehow make it change.
sc104906's review
4.0
Based on a true story. Robert, aka "Yummy," is a young boy who gets caught up in gang violence and murders someone. He is on the run from the cops and is scared. While in hiding, the media and community begin to grapple with the situation and who is at fault.
This graphic novel brings to light contemporary issues facing the inner cities and African Americans. There has to be a way to give more opportunities to those young kids who are simply a product of their environment.
This graphic novel brings to light contemporary issues facing the inner cities and African Americans. There has to be a way to give more opportunities to those young kids who are simply a product of their environment.
chibiijazziie's review
4.0
I chose to read this book for banned books week and boy was it a heavy read. This is a book I've seen on multiple occasions but never read. I was pleasantly surprised to see this was a graphic novel. I was reading the full title and wondered if this was a true story. Unfortunately, it is based 0n a true story. This made me really ready to get into this book. As a graphic novel this is a quick read, I finished it in one sitting. It was a narrated very well! It's a tough read, and it stuck with me for a while, had me in a blah mood. I think think that's a side effect of good books/writing though. They stay with you, even after you're done reading them. Basically, this is a good read, so read it.
ariatari's review
5.0
This is an extremely depressing story, drawn and written in such a way that only serves to accentuate the feeling. I have never come across a graphic novel that has moved me in such a way, and I'm so glad I got to read this.