This raw, moving novel follows two teenagers-one, a Mohawk-wearing 17-year-old violent misfit; the other, a gay 13-year-old cast out by his family, hustling on the streets and trying to survive. Acclaimed author Davida Wills Hurwin creates a riveting narrative told in alternating perspectives of their lives before and after the violent hate crime that changed both their futures. This tragic but ultimately inspirational journey of two polarized teens, their violent first meeting, and their peaceful reunion years later is an unforgettable story of survival and forgiveness.
This story is inspired by the real lives of Matthew Boger and Timothy Zaal, who have shared their story on The Oprah Winfrey Show and NPR.
from amazon.com
Beth says 4 Stars...
The concept of this book scared me a little at first. I'm not the world's biggest Oprah fan, and books about "Oprah stories" can be more than a bit cliche and boring. So, I went into this book with less than astoundingly high expectations. I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. I really thought that the way the book was written made it much better. I loved that it was told by both of the major characters, and that it was so evident when the change occurred. The fact that the font changed was such a great divider, and I felt that the fonts were good representation of the characters. How the book managed to avoid the cliche was that it told the stories of the characters as individuals, instead of just focusing on the moment their paths crossed. The main complaint that I had was that at the beginning it was extremely difficult to determine which character was narrating.
I found the supporting cast to be interesting, and I though that the book was made richer because of them. None of them were astounding. The plot wasn't the main focus of the book; instead it relied on developing the main players and letting everything flow from there. The ending was so moving without being sappy and trite.
This was a lovely book that hit the right nerves once it got going. This is a good read about the biases that we have and how they affect others.
And now for the fun stuff! The winners of a copy are:
kalynnick
Rae
Linda
We're sending e-mails to the winners so we can get your addresses!
The concept of this book scared me a little at first. I'm not the world's biggest Oprah fan, and books about "Oprah stories" can be more than a bit cliche and boring. So, I went into this book with less than astoundingly high expectations. I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. I really thought that the way the book was written made it much better. I loved that it was told by both of the major characters, and that it was so evident when the change occurred. The fact that the font changed was such a great divider, and I felt that the fonts were good representation of the characters. How the book managed to avoid the cliche was that it told the stories of the characters as individuals, instead of just focusing on the moment their paths crossed. The main complaint that I had was that at the beginning it was extremely difficult to determine which character was narrating.
I found the supporting cast to be interesting, and I though that the book was made richer because of them. None of them were astounding. The plot wasn't the main focus of the book; instead it relied on developing the main players and letting everything flow from there. The ending was so moving without being sappy and trite.
This was a lovely book that hit the right nerves once it got going. This is a good read about the biases that we have and how they affect others.
And now for the fun stuff! The winners of a copy are:
kalynnick
Rae
Linda
We're sending e-mails to the winners so we can get your addresses!
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