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A review by rebecca_oneil
Tyrell by Coe Booth
4.0
This book was so absorbing that I read it in two days. At times it seemed too long (310 pages), but it all takes place during one week of 15-year-old Tyrell's life when he and his mom and little brother are placed in a Bronx hotel for the homeless. His dad is in jail for the third time, and Tyrell's main goal is to make some money so they can get a real apartment and avoid the danger of being placed in foster care.
I'm always interested when authors write a main character of the opposite gender. If Coe Booth is accurate, I have a whole new window into what propels males when it comes to love, honor, and anger. There is plenty of language, and some sex, underage drinking, drug use and recollections of violence. But the voice is amazing. The book is written from Tyrell's point of view, and uses his (very urban) language. And I think some books romanticize poverty, but this one does a scary job of depicting its unending pressures, the things you do without, and the desperation of having "nowhere else to go."
VOYA called Tyrell "the definitive tale of the modern African American urban youth." I think older teen boys who don't normally read might really latch onto this book. It'd be an interesting pair with "The First Part Last."
I'm always interested when authors write a main character of the opposite gender. If Coe Booth is accurate, I have a whole new window into what propels males when it comes to love, honor, and anger. There is plenty of language, and some sex, underage drinking, drug use and recollections of violence. But the voice is amazing. The book is written from Tyrell's point of view, and uses his (very urban) language. And I think some books romanticize poverty, but this one does a scary job of depicting its unending pressures, the things you do without, and the desperation of having "nowhere else to go."
VOYA called Tyrell "the definitive tale of the modern African American urban youth." I think older teen boys who don't normally read might really latch onto this book. It'd be an interesting pair with "The First Part Last."