Adult Books 4 Teens: July 2011

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July 1, 2011

Fiction

ABRAHAM, Daniel. The Dragon's Path. unpaged. (The Dagger and the Coin Series). maps. Orbit. 2011. pap. $14. ISBN 978-0-316-08068-2. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Once dragons ruled the 13 races of mankind. Now, they are gone and the races live in a quasi-medieval world. The firstblood (humans) are at the center of the book, but intimations of racial tensions below the surface add dimension to an otherwise slightly stock world. This is a world in transition: banks and farmer’s coalitions have begun to rise in power, and the old aristocratic and feudal ways are threatened. At the center of rising conflicts are Cithrin, the teen ward of a bank and the last survivor of fallen Vanai, and Geder Palliako, a hapless, frankly nerdy, poor noble trying to make his name. In vaguely parallel adventures, Cithrin and Geder find themselves central to the growing turmoil, which seems to boil down to conflict between the young and the old. Geder gains power through the machinations of a powerful lord and uses it for petty revenge, in-cluding razing a city to the ground, while plucky orphan Cithrin rises above easy conventions to be an awesome if understated girl-power figure, protected by aging, embittered hero Marcus. Amid the machinations and coming-of-age elements, a dark power stirs: a long forgotten goddess who wants to destroy the world. High fantasy with a few unique twists, fast pacing, and a fairly straightforward plot and narrative style make this perfect for readers of George R.R. Martin or Patrick Rothfuss while waiting impatiently for the next installment in this series.–Karyn N. Silverman, LREI (Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School), NYC

EVANS, Justin. The White De-vil. 384p. Harper. 2011. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-0061728273. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Andrew is a typical American 17-year-old who makes a serious error in judgment; as a result, his father sends him to Harrow, the famed British boarding school, in a last-ditch effort to get him into a decent college. Unfortunately, trouble seems to have followed him across the Atlantic. Andrew finds it difficult to make friends, classes aren’t like what they were back home, and then there’s the small matter of Theo. Theo was Andrew’s only friend before he was murdered and Andrew saw the killer. Except there’s no one on campus who matches the description and there’s no evidence that the person he saw exists. As Andrew tries to learn the Harrow way, he’s visited by a pale, nearly albino boy who dis-turbs his sleep and haunts his waking hours. Andrew is the spitting image of a former Harrow student, George Gordon Byron (yes, that Byron, the “mad, bad and dangerous to know” poet Lord) and something, or someone, from his past is seeking revenge. Meanwhile, the school’s poet-in-residence is producing a play about Byron, starring Andrew. As he spirals further into Byron’s world, Andrew’s mental and physical health starts to suffer. The book’s ending delivers a twist that few readers will see coming, an epilogue that doesn’t disappoint. This blend of historical fiction, using what is known of Byron’s youth and time at Harrow, and realism, with Andrew trying to fit into a culture not his own, will interest teens. The ghost story may inspire them to learn more about Byron’s life if it doesn’t fully creep them out.–Laura Pearle, Hackley School, Tarrytown, NY

GRANT, Mira. Deadline. 608p. (Newsflesh Trilogy). Orbit. 2011. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-08106-1. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Shaun Mason is literally mad with grief after the death of his sister. She still speaks to him. He still answers her, aloud. While the Kellis-Amberlee virus continues to rage throughout the population, transforming ordinary humans into flesh-eating zombies, Shaun cannot get past seek-ing revenge for Georgia’s death. A young scientist from the Center for Disease Control stages her own death in order to reach Shaun and his After the Endtimes blogging crew, revealing important research that is being suppressed by CDC authorities. Humans with reservoir conditions, which are pockets of the live Kellis-Amberlee virus that are stored in a particular organ, may possess immunity to full-blown infection. In other words, someone like Georgia, who had a reservoir condition affecting her eyes, might have survived her exposure to Kellis-Amberlee without turning into a zombie. Shaun sets off cross-country seeking answers. Ominously, one certainty emerges: Kellis-Amberlee is being deliberately kept alive by someone with a lot of power. Once again, Grant presents that excellent combination of intellectual discourse and terrifying action that appeals to many teens. Readers of sophisticated thrillers reminiscent of the work of Michael Crichton or Douglas Preston should enjoy this series. While this book moves a bit slower than Feed, the first volume in the trilogy (Orbit, 2010), it has a whopper of a twist at the conclusion.–Diane Colson, New Port Richey Public Library, FL

HARRINGTON, Laura. Alice Bliss: A Novel. unpaged. Viking. 2011. Tr $25.65. ISBN 978-0-670-02278-6. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Alice Bliss, 14, lives in an idyllic small American town with her parents and younger sister, Ellie. Matt, her father, loves his work, coaches Little League, joins the army reserve, and is still passionately in love with his wife, Angie. Alice and Matt plan, plant and cultivate a vegetable garden every year, giving them precious time to themselves. Alice’s very best friend since birth is the boy next door, Henry. In January, Matt’s unit is called up for active duty. He is excited; but Angie, Alice and Ellie are horrified, terrified of the unthinkable. While Matt spends six weeks training at Fort Dix, they wait for his phone calls. After he is deployed to Iraq, Angie is paralyzed. She stops shopping, cooking, or cleaning. Alice takes to wearing her father’s blue shirt every day for weeks, but also manages to get her little sister fed and into bed each night, as well as walked to school each morning, with Henry’s help. Their relationship is changing. Henry feels it first, how much he wants to kiss her. Alice turns to him for comfort after Matt is declared missing in action, most likely taken prisoner. The idea that Matt could leave on a bus one day and never come home again seems impossible. But all it takes is a glance at a newspaper to know that this is a tragedy all too many families are experiencing. Harrington turns what could have been sentimental and cloying into a powerful, wrenching story that reads as simple, unadorned truth–Angela Carstensen, Convent of the Sacred Heart. New York City

JONES, Tayari. Silver Spar-row. 352p. Algonquin. 2011. Tr $19.95. ISBN 978-1-56512-990-0. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Dana and Chaurisse, born four months apart, live unusually connected lives in middle-class African American neighborhoods in 1970s and ‘80s Atlanta. Dana Lynn Yarboro narrates Part I. She lives with her mother, Gwendolyn. Her father, James Witherspoon, visits for dinner once a week. Dana has always known about his other family, but it isn’t until kindergarten that he sits her down and tells her that she is a secret. Gwen and Dana drive around watching his other wife and daughter, the family he acknowledges in public, live their easy lives. In Part II, Bunny Chaurisse Witherspoon tells her story, all the way to its inevitably sad conclusion. Chaurisse and her mother Laverne have no idea that James is a bigamist until the daughters near graduation from high school, and Dana’s curiosity and resentment get the better of her. She befriends Chaurisse in a drug store where they are both shoplifting. Dana even visits Laverne’s beauty salon for a hair treatment. As one might imagine, no one in this story is very happy, and men, both husbands and boyfriends, get a particularly bad rap. Each daughter includes the story of how her mother came to marry James; Laverne’s teen experiences are particularly affecting. The dovetailing narratives of Dana and Chaurisse add considerable appeal to the novel, and their teen voices ring true.–Angela Carstensen, Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City

KANE, Andrea. The Girl Who Disappeared Twice. 400p. Mira. 2011. Tr $24.95. ISBN 978-0-7783-2984-8. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Kane, known for her his-torical romances, has written her second romantic thriller. A brilliant team of renegade investigators, the Forensic Instincts, has been hired to find the kidnapped five-year daughter of a high-powered couple with plenty of enemies. Hope Willis, a family court judge and mother of Krissy, not only has to suffer the anguish of her daughter’s kid-napping, but she also must relive the kidnapping of her twin sister 32 years prior. Ca-sey, the charismatic and intuitive leader of the investigative team, which includes a techno-wizard and a former Navy Seal, is a likable character who has a sizzling relation-ship with Hutch, one of the FBI agents on the case. There are countless leads, including a mob connection, a disgruntled former employee of Judge Willis, some sleazy clients of Hope’s husband, the gardener and his wife, characters from the former kidnapping, and countless others. Though there are some coincidences that stretch credulity, this is a fast- paced, engaging story. Teens will respond to the tension, the smart characters, the non-stop action, the twists and turns, and the ultimate outcome. No doubt there will be more Forensic Instincts novels to follow.–Jane Ritter, Mill Valley School District, CA

LUPTON, Rosamund. Sister. 319p. Crown. 2011. Tr $24. ISBN 978-0-307-71651-4. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Beatrice Hemmings has left her native London and is leading a safe, structured, superficial life in New York City. Upon hearing that her sister Tess is missing, Bee races home. Shortly after she arrives, Tess’s body is found. Bee’s mother and fiancé are willing to believe the initial finding that Tess committed suicide, and fault Bee for refusing to accept it. Bee knows that Tess would never have killed herself and begins to ask questions, relying on everything she knows about her sister to unravel the mystery. Propelled by the sad family history that inadvertently put Tess in a dangerous situation, Bee sheds her safe skin and plunges headlong into the search for answers. Like Graham McNamee’s Acceleration (Laurel Leaf, 2003), Sister takes readers on a twisted, dangerous journey where Bee’s desire to find the truth is so compelling that her realization that she may not survive the hunt comes much too late. Lupton’s por-trayal of Bee’s evolution from a person who keeps everyone at arms length to one will-ing to confront anyone or anything (including her own assumptions about other people), is subtle and credible. She leaves readers thinking hard about Bee’s motivation and willingness to make substantial sacrifices. This gripping novel moves in unexpected directions, keeping readers fully engaged in the story. Teens will find this especially appealing as it goes beyond crime drama to explore issues of identity, family, and trust.–Carla Riemer, Berkeley High School, CA

MCMAHON, Jennifer. Don't Breathe a Word. 464p. Harper. 2011. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-06-168937-6. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Twelve-year-old Lisa wants to meet the King of the Fairies and has been exchanging gifts with him in the woods near her Vermont home. Her subsequent disappearance rocks her small town. Did she cross over to the land of the fairies and become Queen as she wished, or did she meet a more realistic, horrible fate? Fifteen years later, Sam, Lisa’s brother, a dedi-cated realist, thinks she is dead. Phoebe, his girlfriend, isn’t as sure. When they get a message from someone purporting to be Lisa, they embark on a crazy journey that turns their worlds upside down. Dual first person points-of-view from both Lisa (15 years ago) and Phoebe (in the present day) draw together complex, parallel stories that seem to come to a conclusion only to open the possibility, once again, that things are not what they seem; that there’s something quite off-kilter in the world. This dark, psy-chological thriller has a conspiracy theme reminiscent of Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby (Random, 1967) and layers of red herrings, each one spiraling back on it-self. Recommended for teens who enjoy dark fantasy and mysteries.–Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI

MARR, Melissa. Graveminder. 336p. Morrow. 2011. Tr $22.99. ISBN 978-0-06-182687-0. LC 2010037261.
Adult/High School–Three elements drive Marr’s narrative: a small town that isn’t quite normal, a tangled romance, and a dead girl roaming the streets. The novel begins with Byron finding the body of Bek’s grandmother, Maylene, in a pool of blood. Maylene’s murder brings Bek back to Claysville where Byron and Bek unravel family and town secrets and rekindle their intense relationship. As they try to get the roaming dead girl where she belongs, they find they have inherited a world of the dead that defines the town. Bek is the next in line for the job of Graveminder: the person who keeps the dead in their graves and takes those that haven’t been properly minded to the underworld; and Byron is the Undertaker, the only one who can open the door to the land under-neath. While the underworld is expertly imagined, and there is wonderful ten-sion between Byron and Bek, ultimately there’s not much here that’s new and com-pletely engaging. In the underworld, Bek’s senses are heightened dramatically; it’s vi-brant and alluring. Even so, when Mr. D tries to seduce Bek, it’s unclear why he’d be competition for Byron’s steadfast love and protection. Twilight has more gasps, bites, and smoldering tension. Teen fans of the “Wicked Lovely” series (HarperCollins) will enjoy the creepy gothic vibe yet may be disappointed. There’s little for them to sink their teeth into, and there’s not enough drama to draw uninitiated teen readers to this author.–Amy Cheney, Alameda County Library, CA

PHILLIPS, Arthur. The Tragedy of Arthur. 368p. Random. 2011. Tr $26. ISBN 978-1-4000-6647-6. LC 2010021192.
Adult/High School–In the preface of Phillips’s new novel--formatted to look like an edition of a newly found Shakespearian play, with the novel proper listed as the “introduction” to the play itself--the publisher urges readers to skip the “introduction” and read the play first. This is partly a joke (the “introduction” is a lengthy memoir explaining how the narrator came to believe that this work is in fact a forgery--a view with which the fictional publisher disagrees), but it is also not a bad idea. Phillips has meticulously crafted a play in the style of mid-1590s Shakespeare, and it’s quite good. The fact that he could write something that sounds so much like the Bard is essential to the novel/“introduction” in which Phillips’s narrator (also named Arthur Phillips) argues first that Shakespeare does not deserve his label as the “greatest English writer,” and second that the question of “authenticity” is itself a red herring. The narrative tracks the lives of Phillips the narrator; his father (also named Arthur Phillips), a life-long Shakespeare fanatic and inveterate forger; and his twin sister, also a Bardolator. Much of this story is a straight-forward family drama, sometimes verging on melodrama, but the core is a cast of well wrought characters and an incredibly sharp sense of humor, aiming at nearly everyone involved--Shakespeare, literary scholars, Phillips himself, and many more. Equally funny for fans of Shakespeare and for teens repeatedly tortured by him, this extremely dense novel will repay repeated close attention, or can be read as merely an unusually funny parody.–Mark Flowers, John Kennedy Library, Solano County, CA

PORCELLINO, John & Paul Peterson and Jason Gilmore. The Next Day. 2011. Pop Sandbox. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-0-9864884-1-2. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Porcellino, whose long-running self-published “King-Cat Comics” have been running successfully for years, is just the right artist to put simple but not simplistic images to the stories of four indi-viduals who have tried to commit suicide. Chantel, Tina, Ryan, and Jenn are each in their third decade and all share how they tried to end their lives, how the trouble began in their childhoods, how they had coped with depression before the attempt (or attempts), and the aftermath of surviving the attempt. Each story unfolds juxtaposed to the other three stories, so that readers meet each of them just before the attempt, then witness all four attempts, and so forth. Because of the straightforward narratives and art, this is an enhanced way of making the points about depression, failed coping mechanisms, despair, and ultimate reassertion of life. The book feels intimate as well as accessible, making it a perfect selection for teens who want to understand the topic of suicide or suicidal feelings in others. The book is part of a larger project created by the Film Board of Canada, with an online component as well, but it stands strong alone.–Francisca Goldsmith, Infopeople Project, CA

SANTIAGO, Wilfred. 21: The Sto-ry of Roberto Clemente. 148p. Fantagraphics. 2011. Tr $22.99. ISBN 978-1-56097-892-3. LC 2011010485.
Adult/High School–Clemente is a baseball legend. He was almost certainly the greatest defensive right fielder of all time, and, ac-cording to some measures, he was one of the 30 or 40 greatest baseball players ever. He was also so devoted to serving those in need that Major League Baseball named its humanitarian award after him. And yet, though readers of this graphic biography get hints of these facts, even reading closely they could easily come away without recognizing the magnitude of the athlete and human being. Strangely enough, this is exactly what is right about this graphic novel. What Santiago has done is to create a sketch of Clemente’s life as he actually led it, not as the legend he became. Mundane village life in Puerto Rico, the challenges of racism and assimilation in the U.S., petty arguments, heroic deeds both on an off the field: all of these are given equal footing. Even more impressive is the way Santiago tells this story. His gorgeous illustrations–colored in Pittsburgh Pirate-tinted black-and-white and drawn with slightly exag-gerated realism in bold, dark lines–perfectly capture the period (1950s and ‘60s). And his storytelling is practically mosaic: overlapping dialogue; snippets of scenes fading in and out without introduction or conclusion; information spread all over the page. This is a book to be pored over, not read straight through.–Mark Flowers, John Kennedy Library, Solano County, CA

TANNER, Haley. Vaclav & Lena. 304p. Dial. 2011. Tr $25. ISBN 978-1-4000-6931-6. LC 2010023907.
Adult/High School–Tanner’s touching debut novel is a love story in three parts. In “Together,” Vaclav and Lena are best friends, both nine years old and living in Brighton Beach, NY. They are working on a magic show that Vaclav cannot wait to perform on the Coney Island boardwalk, with Lena as his lovely assistant. He lives with his parents, who left everything behind in Russia, and is particularly close to his mother, Raisa, who struggles with the new culture and language. Lena lives nearby with her neglectful aunt who works as a dancer in a club. She knows nothing about her parents. Just as their magic show is ready for public performance, Lena disappears from Vaclav’s life. Raisa checks on her and sees something so horrible that she has to call the police to take Lena away from her aunt’s home. Vaclav is heart-broken and blames Raisa’s ignorance. All she knows about Amer-ica she learned from Law & Order! He never forgets Lena, saying good night to her every night, as if to keep her safe. Part two, “Apart,” jumps forward eight years. Vaclav and Lena are 17 and living separate lives. Suspense revolves around the mystery of why Lena was sent away, the whereabouts of her parents, and whether Vaclav and Lena will reunite. Tanner’s precise prose mirrors an immigrant’s attempts at a new language. At the beginning it is rather stilted and careful; later it becomes more and more fluid. This is a story for and about teenagers. Their struggles are not over-dramatized, and despite a too-abrupt ending, readers will be enthralled.–Angela Carstensen, Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City

VALENTE, Catherynne M. Deathless. 352p. Tor. 2011. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-0-7653-2630-0. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–This lyrical fantasy is a reimagining of the traditional Russian fairy tale featuring Marya Morevna and Koschei the Deathless. Set in early to mid 20th century, Deathless weaves tsars (gods) of the spirit worlds, goblins, and other mystical creatures into the genuine harshness of life in Russia during the Stalinist regime and World War II. Famine, war, and death ride side by side with the difficult love story of Marya, torn between Koschei the Deathless (Tsar of the Living), and her human love, Ivan Nikolayevich. Readers follow her as she travels back and forth between worlds, mystical creatures on one side, humans on the other. Though a challenging read at times, the poetic crafting of this tale will appeal to fantasy enthusiasts who are seeking fresh stories. Other than Baba Yaga, many of the charac-ters and elements of this story will probably be new to most readers. Valente’s ap-proach to fairy tales is to take the fairy out. She shakes off the traditional gossamer and instead focuses on the power in the story, thinking more about the fire, blood, and resurrection that already exist there, the things that make them memorable. Fans of Bill Willingham’s “Fables” graphic novels (Vertigo, 2002) will enjoy this updated fairy tale, similarly retold with traditional characters placed in contemporary, trying situa-tions –Carla Riemer, Berkeley High School, CA

WILSON, Daniel H.. Robopocalypse. 334p. Doubleday. 2011. Tr $25. ISBN 978-0-385-53385-0. LC 2010043134.
Adult/High School–The Robot Wars begin in the near future when a computer scientist developing artificial intelligence decides, for the 28th time, to “kill” his seemingly underachieving program. In this instance, however, the computer anticipates its own termination and overrides the destructive command, telling the scientist that only computers can save the planet from the de-structive nature of humans. The computer, named Athos, kills the scientist and launches the war that will preserve life on Earth by extinguishing humans. It begins simply enough, with cars running over their owners or diverting into head on crashes, but soon enough millions of tiny spiderlike machines scuttle toward human body heat and explode. Even smaller machines can penetrate the skin, enter the bloodstream, and explode when they reach the heart. Of course, killing humans one-by-one is not the most effective ways to achieve humanicide, but the personal nature of the attacks makes for the kind of tension that will have readers squirming on their beach towels this summer. The heroic actions of the handful of characters that first de-program the computers and then find and attack Athos’s arctic lair are told in the form of briefing reports captured after the war. This accessible format with its emphasis on survival in battle (rather than the science and philosophy of AI) and the full-throttle action will have particular appeal for reluctant readers and those who enjoy the kind of science-gone-wrong thrillers that were the hallmark of Michael Crichton’s career.–John Sexton, Westchester Library System, Tarrytown, NY

Nonfiction

COLLINS, Billy. Horoscopes for the Dead. 106p. Random. 2011. Tr $24. ISBN 978-1-4000-6492-2. LC 2010018621.
Adult/High School–Collins served as Poet Laureate from 2001 to 2003, and his sense of humor and storytelling style appeal to most readers. Boys should appreciate “The Snag.” “The only time I found myself at all interested/in the concept of a time machine/was when I first heard that baldness in a man/was traceable to his maternal grandfather./I pictured myself stepping in the odd craft/ with a vial of poison tucked into a pocket/and, just in case, a newly sharpened kitchen knife./Of course, I had not thought this through very carefully./But even after I realized the drawback/of eradicating my own existence/not to mention the possible existence of my mother,/I came up with a better reason to travel back in time.” The poet then imagines being a child and meeting his grandfather in a touching conclusion. The title poem describes an activity to which many people do not admit. And why read the horoscope relating to someone who is gone? “Every morning since you disappeared for good,/ I read about you in the daily paper/ along with the box scores, the weather, and all the bad news./ Some days I am reminded that today/ will not be a wildly romantic time for you,/ nor will you be challenged by educational goals,/ nor will you need to be circumspect at the workplace.” It is refreshing to read a poet who uses direct, elegant language. The humorous, wistful tone of the poems and the incidents poignantly presented should make this a welcome addition to all poetry collections.–Karlan Sick, formerly at New York Public Li-brary

HEYENGA, Laura. Paper Cutting: Contemporary Artists, Timeless Craft. 176p. photos. bibliog. notes. Chronicle. 2011. pap. $27.50. ISBN 978-0811874526. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School– Interest in paper crafts is on the rise as evidenced by the plethora of blogs, exhibitions, and online shops that showcase this medium. This book provides a stunning look at the work of 26 contem-porary cut-paper artists. In Natalie Avella’s introduction, readers learn about the rich history of this ancient art that began in China more than a thousand years before most Europeans had ever seen paper and explains how it eventually reached North America. Each artist has 5-to-10 photos of his/her work that showcase elaborate and unbelievable detail. Some take old books and cut new life into them, some use everyday objects and transform them to reflect contemporary culture, some use color and pattern while others use a single color of paper. Included are brief biographies of each artist as well as a selected list of resources about paper and the art of paper cutting. This jaw-dropping book is a feast for the eyes that will appeal to a wide spectrum of readers, from professional paper cutters to casual observers of the art. The book begs to be pored over repeatedly. Teens may very likely want to take up scissors and paper. –Jane Ritter, Mill Valley School District, CA

LARSON, Erik. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin. 464p. appendix. bibliog. index. notes. Crown. 2011. Tr $26. ISBN 978-0307408846. LC 2010045402.
Adult/High School–It was a measure of how reasonable we thought (or hoped) Adolph Hitler would be that President Roosevelt ap-pointed University of Chicago Professor William Dodd to be the U.S. Ambassador to Germany in 1933. Dodd did not exactly fit in with what the majority of foreign service members believed service meant (fancy parties and lavish homes): he was frugal, an academic, and preoccupied with writing his book on the Old South. He was accompa-nied by his wife and his two adult children, son Bill and daughter Martha. Martha, a communist sympathizer, was sexually liberated and given to inopportune affairs, in-cluding simultaneous ones with Boris Winogradov, an NKVD agent, and with Rudolph Diels, a member of Hitler’s leadership. It is clear from Dodd’s personal diaries, official memos, and other communications from the Embassy that Hitler’s rise and Germany’s movement back toward a militaristic society were discounted by many in the diplomatic community. Interwoven with Dodd’s story is an account of Hitler’s cronies (Goering, Himmler, et al.), their scheming for power, the creation of the Final Solution, and how events in Berlin unfolded prior to 1938’s Anschluss. Larson often points out the mo-ments when things could have been stopped, when the world could have stepped in, and how slowly the realization came that Hitler was unreasonable and unstoppable. Teens looking for a different take on a subject studied in-depth in high school or those simply interested in learning more about World War II and America’s early response will appreciate this book. It will also work well as auxiliary reading for history courses.–Laura Pearle, Hackley School, Tarrytown, NY

PRENDERGAST, John & Michael Mattocks. Unlikely Brothers: Our Story of Adventure, Loss and Redemp-tion. 272p. photos. Crown. 2011. Tr $24. ISBN 978-0-307464842. LC 2010042790.
Adult/High School–A memoir in duet, Unlikely Brothers chronicles both sides of a relationship that began in a homeless shelter in Washington D.C. where, in 1983, a 20 year-old college student showed up for his first visit to Michael and James Mattocks as part of the “Big Brother” program. Michael and James thrived under the kind of attention they had never before experienced. Prendergast would take the brothers fishing, to the library, and for visits with his own family in Philadelphia. As the boys became adolescents, they began to grow apart from Prendergast, whose attention was now more focused on their younger brother. Michael and James began to sell drugs and became kingpins of the streets of D.C., while John began travels to Africa and eventually became an expert in African affairs working in the Clinton White House. As tragedy and loss changed the course of their separate lives, Michael and Prendergast began to evaluate how they were each living and moved toward healing themselves and their relationship. In alternating contributions, Mattocks and Prendergast reflect on the forces in their own families that shaped their experiences and choices. Each young man is a survivor–of gun battles and street wars and family challenges. Each one has made a remarkable journey of transformation, one that Mattocks describes as a journey from rags to re-spect. Teens will find his voice true, his descriptions of survival on the streets riveting, and the impact of his brotherhood with Prendergast inspiring.–John Sexton, formerly at Westchester Library System, Tarrytown, NY

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