Publisher synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Theo isn’t looking for trouble, but when he and his friends witness a brutal attack on Ricky-Ricky, an innocent boy who doesn’t know better than to walk right up to the most vicious gang leader around, he’s in trouble for real. And in this neighborhood, everything is at stake. In a poignant, unflinching novel of survival told largely in street dialect, e.E. Charlton-Trujillo enters the lives of teenagers coming of age in the face of spiraling violence among gangs, by police, and at home.
First line(s):
We wasn't up to nothin' new, really.
Me and Jimmy, Catch and Yo-Yo.
We just comin' down the street keepin' cool.
We was good at stayin' low
Especially around the Wooden Spoon.
Guys hang around there, they got teeth on ’em
Sharper than broken glass. Words that slit ya
Me and Jimmy, Catch and Yo-Yo.
We just comin' down the street keepin' cool.
We was good at stayin' low
Especially around the Wooden Spoon.
Guys hang around there, they got teeth on ’em
Sharper than broken glass. Words that slit ya
from chin to belly. And that’s just their words.
Page 56:
"Nah. I ain't running. I didn't do nuthin'. I
try to help him, Trejo.
Trejo held his quiet.
"Killin' Ricky-Ricky got heat. Big joe...he's
looking to rage. he don't get out for a couple weeks,
but when he step, he gonna step hard. your brother
crossed the line."
"You think Big Joe come after me?" I ask.
I adored Fat Angie and already adore this. Both are tough to read though. The hurt is raw and palpable.
Sounds different. I like that though. Happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteI find reading books in verse challenging--in a good way. Enjoy! This one looks timely.
ReplyDelete