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A review by littlecornerreads
Diamond Boy by Michael Williams
4.0
Rating: 4.5 stars
I actually think [a:Matthew Quick|1251730|Matthew Quick|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1384874930p2/1251730.jpg]'s little blurb on the back cover is a pretty good summary of my review of Diamond Boy:
"Michael Williams astounds us with the moral dilemmas facing southern Africa; he also buoys us with a realistic sense of hope and triumph. A must-read."
After learning about corruption in the diamond business from various people, I've wanted to learn more about it. Since actually sitting down to watch Blood Diamond between the cracks of my fingers wasn't all that appealing of an option, I was happy to find a YA alternative.
It seems like Williams did his research. (If his Acknowledgments are any indication, he did his best take advantage of the expertise of those around him.) I can really only vouch for the medical aspect though, which is on point. But I digress. I think Williams does a good job of accurately portraying a very real problem to an audience who might not otherwise be exposed to this kind of information. It's accessible, approachable, enjoyable (in that it's interesting, and not in a sadistic way) and, most importantly, informative. I do wish, though, that he had included either his reference list or recommendations for further reading at the end of the book.
The missing half of a star is mostly for the actual story aspect.Quick claims Williams, "buoys us with a realistic sense of hope and triumph," and I have to agree with all but one word: realistic. Yes, life sucks, the mines are brutal, greed destroys, and life and limb are lost in Diamond Boy, but you still end up with a relatively nice "happily ever after" at the end of the book. Like I said, the hardships are portrayed in the book, but the ending is a little too neat and tidy for me. Like, the fact that 1. he found, not one, not two, but three pure diamond stones, 2. old lady "Dr. Muti" somehow managed to hide said diamonds in his leg and expect him to find it, 3. he a) survived the arduous journey to cross the border, escape the army, etc. WITH SAID DIAMONDS IN HIS LEG and b) ended up recovering the diamonds is a little ridiculous. I mean, I get it. It's YA. Give the people want they want and all that, but how realistic is this kind of a story? How many children end up smuggling/selling industrial diamonds successfully, escaping the mines, outrunning the army, reuniting with the remainder of their family (especially when that family member is being traffic'ed around Africa by a corrupt "accounting student"), finding a surrogate parent, and becoming up "very wealth young [men]"? You can see the reason for my skepticism. Again, I get the compulsion to give Paton a (relatively) happy ending. I get wanting to have the young man caught up by diamond greed lose (almost) everything to learn about true worth. We want things to come full circle, redemption and all that, especially in YA. I usually have no problem with that, but with a subject like this, don't we owe it to ourselves and to the people who actually live this to try to understand what their life is truly like instead of looking for a nicely packaged ending. Give me a downer, give me and unfinished hopeless ending, give me life, but don't give me happily ever after and call it "realistic."*
*I know that Williams never actually claims anywhere that the story (vs. descriptive) aspect of Diamond Boy is realistic, and that I'm basing this entire rant on Matthew Quick's blurb on the back, but this is my review and I do what I want. Plus, I gave him 4.5 stars, which, in my world is really generous.
I actually think [a:Matthew Quick|1251730|Matthew Quick|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1384874930p2/1251730.jpg]'s little blurb on the back cover is a pretty good summary of my review of Diamond Boy:
"Michael Williams astounds us with the moral dilemmas facing southern Africa; he also buoys us with a realistic sense of hope and triumph. A must-read."
After learning about corruption in the diamond business from various people, I've wanted to learn more about it. Since actually sitting down to watch Blood Diamond between the cracks of my fingers wasn't all that appealing of an option, I was happy to find a YA alternative.
It seems like Williams did his research. (If his Acknowledgments are any indication, he did his best take advantage of the expertise of those around him.) I can really only vouch for the medical aspect though, which is on point. But I digress. I think Williams does a good job of accurately portraying a very real problem to an audience who might not otherwise be exposed to this kind of information. It's accessible, approachable, enjoyable (in that it's interesting, and not in a sadistic way) and, most importantly, informative. I do wish, though, that he had included either his reference list or recommendations for further reading at the end of the book.
The missing half of a star is mostly for the actual story aspect.
*I know that Williams never actually claims anywhere that the story (vs. descriptive) aspect of Diamond Boy is realistic, and that I'm basing this entire rant on Matthew Quick's blurb on the back, but this is my review and I do what I want. Plus, I gave him 4.5 stars, which, in my world is really generous.