LitPick Review
Aiden OConnor is confused. He lives in South
Boston, known as Southie, with his mother, who cant keep a
job thanks to his drunken fathers uncontrollable rage and
the damage he causes at every bar she works at. And
although Aiden tries to use his skill at boxing to rake in
some money, its not quite enough to pay off the rent. Aiden
finally decides to make some easy money with his friend
Tommy to help rebuild his life. Unfortunately, this
involves getting mixed up with the Irish mob. Although
Aiden is fulfilling his dream of never eating Salisbury
(fake) steak again by using his influence and the money he
gets from working for the Irish mob, he is still thoroughly
conflicted about his job, his friends , his struggles with
power and money, his family, and whether hes good enough for
the girl of his dreams, Angelique.
This book is the story of a 16-year-olds journey to becoming a man through power,
love, friendship, betrayal, and the decisions he makes to
become the person he wants to be
Opinion:
A Kid from Southie is a terrific book. Aiden's personality is consistently loyal and
honorable: a kid who tries his best to provide for the
people he cares about, but torn between two lives that cant
coexist. The story is told from his perspective, which
helps keep the story real and clear by telling what he was
feeling and the reasons behind the decisions he makes. The
mood was kind of a dark one, mostly due to the setting in
the sketchy parts of Southie, but Aidens feelings set the
tone for the most part, with his internal battles and the
goals he sets for himself. Sometimes, a little more detail
on characters appearances or the description of places
throughout the book wouldve added a little more color and
made it easier to picture in my mind. There was also some
inconsistency with ages and times, I noticed. The language
fit the setting, but it did get pretty crude, and a couple
of scenes definitely encourage me to recommend it to older
audiences due to some mature content. Altogether, it was a
well-written, interesting, and all-around good book. I
couldnt put it down. I would recommend this book for anyone
who can deal with some mature content and language who is
looking for a fantastic read.
