Floats Like a Butterfly

Bed-stuy Setting of When I was the Greatest

When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds
New York : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, [2014]
231 p. ; 22 cm.  

This is one of those books that really exceeds expectations!  I read it because I saw that it had won the John Steptoe - New Talent / Coretta Scott King Award for 2015 and had received numerous positive reviews (e.g. Publishers Weekly and Kirkus), and I wanted to see for myself if it was a book I could recommend.  Also, I'm always on the lookout for diverse authors - our school is a very diverse school - and Jason Reynolds, a young African-American writer living in Brooklyn, interested me.

Would I recommend this book?  The answer is a definite Yes!  I loved this book.  One of the reviewers on Goodreads writes, "Jason Reynolds just slays the voice in this book.  Slays it," and I have to agree.  His voice reminded me a lot of Christopher Paul Curtis, the wonderful author of Bud not Buddy. But, where Bud not Buddy is aimed at middle school readers, Reynolds book hits right at the high school age reader.

What I loved about Reynolds book is that it deals with the rough life of the urban working poor and unemployed - and does so with humor, a light touch and a lot of heart.  There is action in this book, a bit of sex (or almost sex), physical violence, lawbreaking, and cussing, but the heart of the book is about loyalty, friendship, acceptance, and - dare one say it? - love.

It's funny to me that the cover, seen here,

was actually controversial!  I was disappointed with the cover, but not for it being too provocative.  On the contrary, I think it's a weak cover that doesn't grab the attention of a high school reader.  A stunning portrait of a kid in a fight, or shadows on a Brooklyn street, or hustlers on a street corner would have been far more compelling.  Honestly, when I first saw the book, I thought "Oh, cool it's a new LGBT book!" For the record, it's not.

Cover aside, I will definitely recommend this book to any student looking for an all-around good read or a fresh take on urban life, drama, and growing up.

A Terrible Time

All Involved by Ryan Gattis
New York, NY : Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2016.
372 p. ; 21 cm.

Gattis' novel won an Alex Award this year, an award recognizing books published for adults which have a high appeal for young adult readers.

All Involved is a powerful read and the author's site for the book is a good place to go for links to some of the history behind the novel.  

I can see why Gattis' book won an Alex Award, but I would definitely note that the content is very mature.  Set in the lawless, violent days of the LA upheaval (riot? insurrection? uprising?) the novel is gritty, violent, vulgar and disturbing.  However, it is hard to imagine a book about the LA Riots of 1992 that would be able to avoid some very upsetting and graphic episodes.  What makes this novel exceptional its use of seventeen interconnected 1st person narratives that tell the story of six days of unrest that followed the acquittal of police officers unknowingly filmed as they savagely beat Rodney King nearly to death.  In this novel we see gangs settling old scores, sweeping in innocent and not-so-innocent people with savage violence and betrayal.  We also see the humanity of people working to save the injured, the dying and buildings that have been set ablaze.

I found this a compelling read, even if somewhat demoralizing.  It is a book that would appeal to students who are interested in urban violence, gang life and extreme situations - think Rodriguez's Always Running or Reymundo Sanchez' Once a King - and, like those books, it is one that is for mature readers.

In Greed We Trust

Griftopia by Matt Taibbi
New York : Spiegel & Grau Trade Paperbacks, 2011.
299 p. ; 21 cm.

How can you not want to read a book by the author who described the sleazy investment bank, Goldman Sachs, as "a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money"? Taibbi writes with a lot of emotion (often peppering his prose with well-deserved name calling and occasional cuss words) but also with a quiver full of meticulously documented facts and knowledge.  He manages to make a raucous, fun read out of a subject that is both very complicated - can you say Collateralized Debt Options and Credit Default Swaps? - and very infuriating .  

After reading this book, you will never look at mortgages, investments, bailouts and Wall Street in the same light.  This is a book which will shake your faith in the fairness of the financial system in the US, but it will also make you smarter as you start to understand the outright fraud and criminality that lead to the great crash of 2008.  

And you might even find yourself laughing out loud as you read it.  So what are you waiting for?  Read it!