Scan barcode
mmotleyu's review
4.0
As the title says, a tragedy. It does feel like his choices were made for him before
mandaant1's review
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
There was a big controversy with this book. A lot of people think that the author, Hobbs, was trying to monetize over the life of Robert Peace. After finishing the audio I could kind of see the reason a lot of people think that because in some areas of the story he includes himself and his upbringing compared to what Peace went through but I think it brought to light the struggles Peace went through and how easy it was for Hobbs. Hobbs had the “white privilege” and everything was handed to him on a silver platter (he even admits to this). Peace struggled trying to fit into society.
What is also included is the upbringing of Peace. He was raised by a single black mother who could barely make ends meet but always wanted the best for Hobbs. He was placed in all the private schools because of how smart he was. He was accepted into an Ivy League school. He could’ve gone places if he didn’t get into the drug business. People close to him constantly tried to stop him but money and providing for his family was most important and this was only way he knew how.
It was definitely a good story and makes you think - no matter your situation life is short.
What is also included is the upbringing of Peace. He was raised by a single black mother who could barely make ends meet but always wanted the best for Hobbs. He was placed in all the private schools because of how smart he was. He was accepted into an Ivy League school. He could’ve gone places if he didn’t get into the drug business. People close to him constantly tried to stop him but money and providing for his family was most important and this was only way he knew how.
It was definitely a good story and makes you think - no matter your situation life is short.
briannegk's review
4.0
Really well written. Crazy how you know he dies and yet you are still so sad. I agree with another review that it is like watching a car wreck in slow motion. I so badly wanted a different outcome for him. And for the many he represents.
bridgetwf's review
5.0
What a wonderful book. A fascinating look at Newark, class, race, America, on and on.
On a personal note (as someone similar in age to Rob), one of the aspects of the books that really resonated with me was is the ennui and uncertainty after graduation that affected him and many of the characters after after Yale, and speaks to problems in our educational system and issues facing Rob's generation. I think there are many well educated individuals that want to do something big and important with their educations, but struggle to pinpoint what that might be. After the first 21 years of life being wildly scripted or at least a path with many advisors and somewhat limited choices, I think many struggle to find the next step.
On a personal note (as someone similar in age to Rob), one of the aspects of the books that really resonated with me was is the ennui and uncertainty after graduation that affected him and many of the characters after after Yale, and speaks to problems in our educational system and issues facing Rob's generation. I think there are many well educated individuals that want to do something big and important with their educations, but struggle to pinpoint what that might be. After the first 21 years of life being wildly scripted or at least a path with many advisors and somewhat limited choices, I think many struggle to find the next step.
megryanreally's review against another edition
5.0
I read the last 200 pages intentionally slow so as to not have to confront the loss of this protagonist... a man with incredible potential and genius, but like many destined for that greatness, have a hard time conforming to the expectations of a world that seems only to dull their greatness by rendering their attention on the immediate and inevitably unfulfilling. The loss of this solemn, perspicacious man (who despite his intellect could not use it to rise above the poverty that held onto him) provides insight on a few things.... throughout I felt Hobbs contradicted himself in his attempt at recreating an intricate life...at one point he said Rob was able to compartmentalize his life so well. I don't think Rob succeeded in that so much as Oswaldo did. In his authenticity, Rob could not/would not extract himself from the environment he grew up in, the immediate lens that detracted from his understanding of how his choices would weigh for his future. Where Oswaldo was able to separate where he came from and where he was at Yale, and went to the counselor with a dramatic plea for help because he knew he would eventually fall to the same demise as Rob eventually does, Rob could not separate himself from the limits that poverty subjected him to, and the destiny perhaps it would be easier to resign to (why else would he return to selling drugs in college after putting his Yale career on the line and receiving a second chance). The other insight is this... Charles Cawley could not in his right mind believe that fronting this man's education costs would solve all his problems and render Rob in his very same position years later. Kids from poverty need educated, wealthy men to step over the gap more than just reaching into their pockets. These kids need men to walk with them, guide them, counsel them, tell them why they're giving them that money, call out what they see in them, etc. Money does not solve all, neither does education, neither does success. Love, apprenticeship, and finding purpose might... for a child coming from poverty, it may be hard to step outside the lens of the immediate to visualize the benefits the latter incorporeal three.
courtz531's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
I continue to think about this book. It was just THAT impactful. Read it!
sjgrodsky's review
3.0
I began this review after reading not quite a quarter of this 400 page book, then edited it after finishing.
First: Robert Peace's story is fascinating. And I appreciate that the author spent many hours interviewing his roommate's friends and family, and then organizing those details into a coherent narrative.
That said, I can't give the book more than a passing grade for three reasons.
1
--
The author's prose is execrable. Passive voice. Awkwardly structured sentences. Careless word choice. Here's a single sentence (page 101) that exhibits all three maladies: "Back in East Orange, trailing footsteps would cause the backs of their necks to tingle in apprehension, their eyes to begin scanning for an alley down which to escape."
Wince-inducing sentences like this occur two or three times per page.
2
--
A lot of data but not much information. Revelatory details make a story vivid. Others (such as Facebook comments) just pad the page count.
3
--
Bromides instead of analysis. Why did Rob turn away from the upper middle class life he could have had? Why did he choose a path that resulted in his being murdered by a rival drug dealer? These are the questions Hobbs should be grappling with. The best he can do is to sententiously observe that he doesn't have answers.
First: Robert Peace's story is fascinating. And I appreciate that the author spent many hours interviewing his roommate's friends and family, and then organizing those details into a coherent narrative.
That said, I can't give the book more than a passing grade for three reasons.
1
--
The author's prose is execrable. Passive voice. Awkwardly structured sentences. Careless word choice. Here's a single sentence (page 101) that exhibits all three maladies: "Back in East Orange, trailing footsteps would cause the backs of their necks to tingle in apprehension, their eyes to begin scanning for an alley down which to escape."
Wince-inducing sentences like this occur two or three times per page.
2
--
A lot of data but not much information. Revelatory details make a story vivid. Others (such as Facebook comments) just pad the page count.
3
--
Bromides instead of analysis. Why did Rob turn away from the upper middle class life he could have had? Why did he choose a path that resulted in his being murdered by a rival drug dealer? These are the questions Hobbs should be grappling with. The best he can do is to sententiously observe that he doesn't have answers.
jbzar's review
A good book. Sad story in terms of the consequences of the choices Rob ultimately made. In that regard, it strikes me how people close to Rob failed him. For example, I think the school's philosophy of avoiding direct confrontation served their interests at Rob's expense. I think they and other of his acquaintances might have tried concerning themselves less with how the message would be received and being more committed to presenting The message they believed in.
colleen1011's review
5.0
A compelling read!! I enjoyed reading about the life of this young man who had such potential and promise and ended so tragically.