You Don’t Even Know Me: Stories and Poems about Boys by Sharon G. Flake YP FIC FLAKE

In nine stories and 13 poems, Sharon G. Flake brings the experience of African-American males to gritty unflinching life. There is Tow-Kaye marrying his pregnant girlfriend at only 16 and wondering if his life is over, Tyler explaining what it means to be a player and have game, La’Ron revealing in a letter to his uncle what it’s like to find out you have HIV, and several more that are funny, sad, hopeful, and raw.

Sharon G. Flake is an excellent writer that seems truly keyed into urban life. Her writing never feels faked or forced and her characters seem so real that you could imagine meeting them on any street. She more often writes female lead characters than male, so this book is a welcome change for male readers that like African American Lit. My favorite stories in this bunch were Getting’ Even about a young man’s decision about if he will try and find and kill his grandpa’s murderer and Girl’s Make you Weak, about how to be a player. I think I may even take notes. If you are a fan of realistic fiction about African American books this is a very good read.

Sweet, Hereafter by Angela Johnson YP FIC JOHNSON

Angela Johnson finishes the Heaven Trilogy started in Heaven and The First Part Last with the story of Shoogy Maple. Shoogy leaves home for reasons she isn’t completely sure of and lands at the cabin of Curtis Johnson a young man she has talked to only a few times before. Curtis takes her in without a question and their relationship begins to grow. But as Shoogy is finding peace for the first time Curtis is running from the past, his memories of serving in Iraq, and the dangers the future hold for him. When all this catches up to him Shoogy learns the pain of first love lost.

Sweet, Hereafter is told entirely from Shoogy’s point of view and this works well because she is a funny and intelligent young woman. Johnson’s writing is deceptively simple. She uses as few words as possible to convey the most emotion and depth she can, so this is a short read that stays with you long after you put it down. I would suggest reading Heaven and The First Part Last before you read this one though, because the characters and situations referenced will make more sense if you do. It is absolutely no surprise that Johnson has won the prestigious Coretta Scott King award three times. She is one of the best writers of African American characters working in Young Adult Literature today.

Riot by Walter Dean Myers

Riot is a historical fiction novel by Walter Dean Myers, who is a prolific young adult writer. Historical fiction are stories set during real life past events, but the characters have been made up my the author. In this case, Myers' story takes place in New York City in July 1863. The Civil War still wages on and the Battle of Gettysburg has recently taken place. The real life event Myers focuses on is a riot that took place in New York City on July 11, 1863. This event would later be known at the New York City Draft Riots of 1863.

During the war there was an escalation of tension, especially after a draft was federally instituted. All male citizens between ages 20-35, as well as unmarried men ages 35-45 could be enlisted into the army by way of a lottery draw. Men who could afford to pay $300 could buy there way out of the draft, which alienated lower class immigrants, including the Irish. Black men were also not required to serve in the military because they did not have citizen status. Riots broke out in New York City after the July lottery. Frustrated by their forced participation in the Civil War, many of the rioters were Irish Americans. Stores and buildings were looted and set afire. Many black Americans, whom the Irish blamed, were attacked and in some cases murdered.

Myers' story focused on Clair, a 15-yr-old daughter of an Irish mother and black father. Claire is torn between the conflict because of her mix background and is forced to address race issues and her own identity.

Riot addresses race, bigotry, and social class. Myers delivers this story as a screenplay, as he did with Monster, which may appear and read oddly to the traditional book reader. However, this style does move the story along quickly and gives the reader an idea of just how tense people were due to their frustration, exhaustion, and emotional turmoil evoked during the Civil War. Myers allows young adults to better understand the reasons that brought on the riots through his unique way of storytelling.

The Young Adult collection at Moore Memorial Public Library contains several books written by Walter Dean Myers, including Sunrise over Fallujah, Monster, and Street Love.