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clairevlinney's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
rina1986_reads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookphenomena_micky's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Headlines:
Injustice prevailing
Survival
Coping mechanisms
This heart-stopping story brings the reader into a world few of us will have experience of. Tyrell was a young man in a prison for young offenders, he committed a crime but the payment was heavy. The first half of the book centred on the latter part of his incarceration and the second half centred on life afterwards; neither of those experiences were easy, far from it.
Through Ty's eyes I learnt more about joint enterprise and how black young men are targetted by police and the word 'gangs' is thrown about easily and often unnecessarily. The gang matrix was a new concept to me and I looked up more information on this, I was pretty incredulous. These facts translated to characters in this story and Dadir absolutely pulled at my heart. At the end, as attached as I was to Ty, Dadir had all my questions, much of my compassion and angry tears.
Life behind bars for Ty was one big adrenaline surge to stay safe. The sense of tension he held at all times was palpable. I was looking over Ty's shoulders for him but it didn't help. Ty's outlet through this book was a talent he found in words on a page that translated into spoken word. There were some great advocates in this book and we needed to see those chinks of hope for Ty. I loved Malik and Becky's empowerment.
Family relationships were both complicated and frustrating. Reading Ty's connection with his brother and how that eventually played out brought a new set of tears. Ty was a young man with integrity, a crime is not everything about an identity even though society loves to see it that way. The Ty we met had emotional intelligence, an evolving ability to make decent decisions but some of his decisions had me figuratively reading through my fingers.
Danielle Jawando brought this story to life with heart, empowerment and hope. Her words have wings and she gave them to Ty.
I read an early copy of this book but it did not influence by honest opinion.
Injustice prevailing
Survival
Coping mechanisms
This heart-stopping story brings the reader into a world few of us will have experience of. Tyrell was a young man in a prison for young offenders, he committed a crime but the payment was heavy. The first half of the book centred on the latter part of his incarceration and the second half centred on life afterwards; neither of those experiences were easy, far from it.
Through Ty's eyes I learnt more about joint enterprise and how black young men are targetted by police and the word 'gangs' is thrown about easily and often unnecessarily. The gang matrix was a new concept to me and I looked up more information on this, I was pretty incredulous. These facts translated to characters in this story and Dadir absolutely pulled at my heart. At the end, as attached as I was to Ty, Dadir had all my questions, much of my compassion and angry tears.
Life behind bars for Ty was one big adrenaline surge to stay safe. The sense of tension he held at all times was palpable. I was looking over Ty's shoulders for him but it didn't help. Ty's outlet through this book was a talent he found in words on a page that translated into spoken word. There were some great advocates in this book and we needed to see those chinks of hope for Ty. I loved Malik and Becky's empowerment.
Family relationships were both complicated and frustrating. Reading Ty's connection with his brother and how that eventually played out brought a new set of tears. Ty was a young man with integrity, a crime is not everything about an identity even though society loves to see it that way. The Ty we met had emotional intelligence, an evolving ability to make decent decisions but some of his decisions had me figuratively reading through my fingers.
Danielle Jawando brought this story to life with heart, empowerment and hope. Her words have wings and she gave them to Ty.
I read an early copy of this book but it did not influence by honest opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Murder and Racism
thickthighs_no_lies's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Blood, Self harm, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Confinement, and Bullying
Minor: Drug use
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