The Readers Speak—Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty
RSSAmy Cheney
We have a culture of readers at Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center. Our staff—from the janitor on up—is talking about Yummy. See what they're saying! This short clip below includes interviews with Kim Godfrey, institutional supervisor I; Tarrus Johnson, a psychiatric social worker; Sonia Osborne, a teacher; Dr. Janice Thomas, a clinical psychologist; "DB" Bedford, institutional supervisor II; S. Slaughter, a juvenile institutional officer; "Buzz" Sherwood of Catholic Detention Ministries, and myself.
If you're intrigued by my review of Yummy, here are some other books you might like: CANADA, Geoffrey. Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence. Illus. by Jamar Nicholas. Random House. 2010. pap. $14.00. ISBN 978-0-8070-4449-0. Gr 7 Up. CAREY, Percy. Sentences: The Life of M.F. Grimm. Illus. by Ron Wimberly and others. MYERS, Walter Dean. Autobiography of My Dead Brother. Illus. by Christopher Myers. Amistad. 2005. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-06-058291-3. pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-06-058293-7. Gr 8 Up. Special thanks to Jodi Mitchell, a librarian, videographer, and editor, for her collaboration on this video. This article originally appeared in School Library Journal's enewsletter SLJTeen. Subscribe here.
Thanks for this great review! I've been interested in this book, but not sure if it's appropriate for my elementary school library. What are your thoughts? Wow, thanks for really investing in my book. That means a lot. I'll be interested to see how your students react to it as you use it.
And in answer to the question: it's appropriate if your students are in an area where they are dealing with or are around gangs...even in elementary school. Yes, it's appropriate for elementary school as Neri says above. Here is
the fantastic discussion guide.
http://www.leeandlow.com/p/yummy_dq.mhtml * = Required information
My favorite book of the year? Hands down, it's the graphic novel Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by Greg Neri, illustrated by Randy Burke (Lee and Low, ISBN 978-1-58430-267-4). As a librarian at Alameda County (CA) Library Juvenile Hall, I look for stories that are gritty, real, meaningful, action-packed, deep, complex, and, on top of that, a quick read. I work with incarcerated youth ages nine to 18, so I may only have a few hours to capture a reader's interest. I need something solid for the guys who have been here awhile and are looking to deepen their understanding of life. And Yummy has it all. It beautifully (and horrifically) illustrates the true story of a young inner-city boy who's unquestioningly part of a nightmare of violence that's normal to him. Like The House That Crack Built (Chronicle, 1992) by Clark Taylor and Jan Thompson Dicks, Yummy presents an overview of a complex situation in stark detail, which makes the story perfect for both reluctant and sophisticated readers. Betsy Bird's awesome review in School Library Journal's Fuse #8 blog captures my sentiments completely.
DC Comics. 2008. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-1-4012-1046-5. pap. $14.99. 978-1-4012-1047-2.
Reader Comments (3)
Posted by Mary Ann Scheuer on October 21, 2010 01:59:15AM
Posted by Greg Neri on October 21, 2010 02:35:35AM
Posted by Amy Cheney on October 21, 2010 02:54:24PM
