#tbt: Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri

 

Image: Candlewick Press

Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri. 218 p. Candlewick Press, August, 2011. 9780763649227. (Own)

#tbt features Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri. This book is the reason why I'm so excited for the release of Polo Cowboy (see yesterday's post). Seventh grader, Cole is heading down the wrong path fast and his single mom has had it. She packs a bag, loads Cole into her car and heads out of Detroit fast. She dumps him in Philadelphia to live with his dad, whom he has never met. He doesn't know what to expect of his dad or of the mean streets of Philadelphia. He certainly doesn't expect horses. Harp, his dad is a cowboy. A Black cowboy? In the middle of a city?

Mr. Neri was inspired by an article in Life magazine about the cowboys of Philadelphia. While Cole's story is fiction. The stables on Fletcher Street really exist and their existence is continually threatened by developers. The novel is short, illustrated and instantly engaging.

Ghetto Cowboy was published in 2011 and won quite a few State Book Awards. It was adapted for film and renamed Concrete Cowboy. It was recently released on Netflix. In the film adaptation, Cole was aged up and other changes were made, but the story of the stables and the father/ son relationship remain at the heart of the film.

Polo Cowboy releases in October. There's plenty of time to pick up Ghetto Cowboy. Happy reading!