Autobiography of My Dead Brother
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4.8 • 20 Ratings
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
A powerful National Book Award Finalist from the acclaimed, bestselling author of Monster. "This novel is like photorealism; it paints a vivid and genuine portrait of life that will have a palpable effect on its readers." (School Library Journal starred review)
With Harlem as its backdrop, Autobiography of My Dead Brother follows the diverging paths of best friends Rise and Jesse. When Rise becomes engulfed in gang activity and starts dealing drugs, Jesse, a budding artist, tries to make sense of the complexities of friendship, loyalty, and loss in a neighborhood plagued by drive-by shootings, vicious gangs, and an indifferent juvenile justice system.
The innovative first-person storytelling, along with cartoons and photos, pulls in readers and makes Autobiography of My Dead Brother a strong and thought-provoking choice for sharing in a classroom or at home.
"Though the story is starkly realistic, there is always hope in the gifts of Jesse the artist and C. J. the musician, of schools and churches and of caring parents." (Kirkus)
"Touching and impactful, Autobiography cannot fail to intrigue, and hopefully influence youngsters with its poignant statement of two roads taken." (Judges' Citation, National Book Award)
What happens when your best friend becomes a stranger you can’t save?
Best Friends on Diverging Paths: Jesse is a budding artist trying to make sense of the world through his sketchbook. His blood brother, Rise, is choosing gang life and dealing drugs, forcing them onto a tragic collision course.Gritty Realistic Fiction: A powerful and honest look at the impact of drive-by shootings, a flawed justice system, and the difficult choices teens face in neighborhoods where hope is hard to find.Art as a Coping Mechanism: Told through Jesse’s innovative first-person narration, sketches, and comic strips, this story explores how creativity can be a lifeline in the face of tragedy.Friendship and Loyalty: An unforgettable exploration of what it means to stay true to a friend who is losing himself, and the heartbreaking cost of loyalty when lines are crossed.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Myers mines the themes he explored in his Scorpions and Monster here, but with less subtlety. Jesse, 15, chronicles the demise of his "blood brother," Rise, in the titular illustrated "autobiography." While readers do not see enough of their early friendship to understand why Jesse continues to care for Rise, what unfolds more credibly is the growing friendship between the narrator and CJ. Like Jesse, CJ joins the benign-seeming Counts, a group going back more than 40 years to the days of "black social clubs." However, another group member has plans other than social get-togethers. Soon Mason (who "just felt like trouble") holds up a bodega and, after he lands in jail, expects the Counts to "rough up" the store owner so the man won't testify. Rise winds up dealing coke, while Jesse, his mother and a cop restate the book's message that "almost everything that was going down wrong in the hood was based on people dealing." Jesse's parents seem vague, and the motives of Rise's murderer, a kid called Little Man remain unclear. But perhaps these elements simply bolster the seemingly random acts of violence in Jesse's world. What comes through clearly is that CJ and Jesse have a way out CJ through his musical talents and Jesse with his artwork, nicely demonstrated in Christopher Myers's black-and-white drawings, as well as in the father-son team's clever comic strips. Ages 14-up.
Customer Reviews
Crazy good
This book was a favorite growing up. I forgot what it was about so I decided to reread it. Walter Dean Myers inspired me to write. To write about real life situations and create them again for the world to see and learn from