LitPick Review
Jerome Banneker lives in the projects, but doesn't see the reason for the "commmunity pride" of its other black members. Josh Stanton has always been told that his life is great, but doesn't understand the "morality" that everyone tells him he lacks. And Rob Flaherty lives in an impoverished town full of racist Irishmen, but thinks of himself as a rebel. The boys' three communities are in a heated debate over the fate of a nearby shoe factory, and according to the adults around them, the three should avoid each other at all costs. But a mysterious businesswoman brings them together, and the boys can't help but see each other, not as rivals, but as friends.
Opinion:
This book is the worst I've read in a long time. The author took a mediocre plot line, added three almost identical characters, and called his book finished. Perhaps if it had been written well, it would have still been an enjoyable book, but Mr.McHugh's novel is littered with comma errors and awful dialect. All of the characters are one dimensional-- the children overly perfect clones of one another who enjoy breaking into monologues and the adults irrational bigots. Only one character has any intrigue at all, and McHugh seems to expect her interactions to make up for the blandness of her companions by including her everywhere. The three protagonists cause the book to be redundant, as McHugh's attempts to make them similar to each other only mean that whenever something happens to one, a similar thing must happen to the rest, and instead of using foreshadowing, he simply includes random unrelated events to explain others. The book's condescending tone makes it a truly unpleasant read, and unless you suffer from insomnia, you should certainly look elsewhere for a way to spend your time.
The book has anti-racism themes throughout, causing it to create cruel stereotypes about races, and all characters curse. A teen also uses drugs and is offered alchohol and drugs by an adult, and the book contains violence, attempted murder, and attempted suicide.
Reviewer Age:15
Reviewer City, State and Country: , Maryland United States
