Green By Sam Graham-Felsen

 

Green **/* It's OK/but wouldn't buy

By: Sam Graham-Felsen

First and lasting thought. There's way too much ghetto slang for dis aged, kountry, kracker, shorty. So, imma bounce mah kicks outta tha scene cuz dis shorty jess ain't feelin' it.

That's not to say the book is without merit. It was aight.

What I liked

The characters were well developed. There is an equal mix of different races, gender, social status ,and religions among this small group who are friends (acquaintances). I liked that the author wrote a story targeted for middle-school aged BOYS.

The story takes the reader through the lives of this group of 6^th graders, the forming of new friendships, coming of age.

What I DON'T like – and it's a deal breaker for me -

The ghetto slang can be forgiven because the target reader is a middle-school aged boy.

BUT

There's too much emphasis on negativity. Too much violence committed AGAINST this little white boy BY the BLACK kids in the story. Too much constant fear expressed by the white boy. Too much RACISM BY the BLACK kids AGAINST the white kid(s).

Muggings, hi-jacking, robbery, fights, knives pulled, drug selling (although none of the 6^th graders were the ones selling drugs).

** Racism goes both ways **.

If my son was still in this targeted age group – I would NOT allow him to read this book.

Why would I ever expose my child to that? Why would I ever let my child think “Oh, that's normal” or “It's OK, that's just the constant fear of black kids that white kids have to expect and live with”. ?Why?

The answer is – I wouldn't.

The things that happen in this book are NOT OK. It is hate and racism BY the black kids AGAINST the white kids. There's too much of that racial hatred in society – and it's NOT coming from white society.

Although the book was well written – I can NOT recommend the book because I would never let my own child read it. I'm sure it's “real” in any big city, maybe in your part of the world – but it's not in my small, very rural part of the world. I don't live in a big city, never seen a ghetto – so I would never introduce that type of life/hate/racism to my child.

I received this ebook free in exchange for my honest review.