Scan barcode
A review by misspentdays
Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri
Yummy is based on the true story of 11 year old Robert "Yummy" Sandifer. A brief career as a gangbanger led to him killing a neighborhood girl, Shavon Dean, and landed him on the cover of Time as an example of everything wrong with the Southside and gang life.
Neri was inspired to write the book after following the story as a teacher in South Central Los Angeles, where he knew kids like Yummy. Illustrated by Randy DuBurke, who has also worked with Patricia McKissick for Best Shot in the West and on Andrew Helfer's biography Malcolm X. Through the fictional character of Roger, who went to school with Yummy and is the younger brother of a Black Disciples member, the reader is able to learn about Yummy's troubled past and Shavon's promising future.
Stark, but moving narration and black and white illustrations suit the mood of the book and keep the reader enthralled. This is a book where the illustrations and the words are equally powerful. A winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, this is a fast read and a great choice for high-low reading and an excellent example of the power of graphic non-fiction.
Neri has since written several other stories featuring urban settings and inspired by the news, including Knock Out Games, which focuses on the potentially deadly results of these random street attacks. For those who are not in the life, it provides an excellent look in. For those who are living this life, perhaps it will inspire them to make better choices.
Neri was inspired to write the book after following the story as a teacher in South Central Los Angeles, where he knew kids like Yummy. Illustrated by Randy DuBurke, who has also worked with Patricia McKissick for Best Shot in the West and on Andrew Helfer's biography Malcolm X. Through the fictional character of Roger, who went to school with Yummy and is the younger brother of a Black Disciples member, the reader is able to learn about Yummy's troubled past and Shavon's promising future.
Stark, but moving narration and black and white illustrations suit the mood of the book and keep the reader enthralled. This is a book where the illustrations and the words are equally powerful. A winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, this is a fast read and a great choice for high-low reading and an excellent example of the power of graphic non-fiction.
Neri has since written several other stories featuring urban settings and inspired by the news, including Knock Out Games, which focuses on the potentially deadly results of these random street attacks. For those who are not in the life, it provides an excellent look in. For those who are living this life, perhaps it will inspire them to make better choices.