Kindness for Weakness
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4.6 • 7 Ratings
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
In an environment where kindness equals weakness, how do those who care survive?
A Tayshas Reading List Pick
An ALA-YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book
“Shawn Goodman takes us inside the gritty world of our juvenile justice system with the verve of a master storyteller.” —Jordan Sonnenblick, author of Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie
“A gripping story of a boy’s climb to manhood on his own terms.” —Paul Volponi, author of The Final Four
“The reader will be seized by [the boy’s] plight and his determination not only to survive, but to better himself.” —Todd Strasser, author of Give a Boy a Gun
“Kindness for Weakness is a daring, dazzling leap into the dark passage that is the journey to manhood.” —Paul Griffin, author of The Orange Houses
“Gripping action, gritty dialogue, vivid characters, and palpable tension permeate the brief chapters of James’s powerful, honest, compelling narrative.” —School Library Journal
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In his second novel set in a juvenile detention center, Goodman (Something Like Hope) introduces 15-year-old James, who is caught running drugs for his older brother and sentenced to a year in juvie. Despite a rough initiation to the program, James inspired by books recommended to him by his English teacher does his best to stay out of trouble; however, his emotional and physical strength are tested time and again by corrupt, belligerent guards and boys who pressure him into joining a gang. Tension builds as James's belief in himself and a better future begins to waver, and he helps a peer get revenge on a brutish guard, a choice that has dangerous repercussions. Goodman, who has worked inside such facilities himself, expresses harsh criticism of the juvenile justice system while telling a deeply personal story of an abused teen's struggles to free himself from the constraints preventing him from reaching his goals. James's expanding perception of the world inside and outside of the facility gives insight into the perpetuation of teen violence. Ages 14 up.
