Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly
Rapp (Missing the Piano) draws readers into the nightmarish world of a juvenile detention facility as his narrator, incarcerated for stealing hood ornaments, recounts his day-to-day battle to survive abuse and dehumanization. Twelve-year-old Sura, his language heavily seasoned with slang and expletives, is searingly articulate in describing the horrors of Hamstock Boys Center. These range from head lice outbreaks to pummelings by other "juvies" to sadistic forms of punishment administered by guards, teachers and deans ("If you get carped enough they'll send you to Dean Petty and they say he's got a two-foot paddle with air holes. I ain't seen it yet, but they talk about it the way you talk about boogymonsters and sharks"). Two of Sura's "patch mates," weathering the worst cruelties, are pushed beyond their limits, and one of them commits suicide by plummeting from a tree. Sura endures his six-month sentence, but the impact stays with him after his release: "You get that old feeling back up in your bonesjust for a second.... You get that feeling that the night's got something up its sleeve for you. Even if it's during the day you get that feeling." The author's graphic images and use of first-person, present-tense narrative makes Sura's hellish story all the more real and immediate. Ages 12-up. (May)
Publishers Weekly
A 12-year-old boy recounts his day-to-day battles in a juvenile detention center. "Graphic images and a narrative heavily seasoned with slang and expletives make Sura's hellish story all the more real and immediate," said PW. Ages 12-up. (May) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
VOYA
- Richard Gercken
Rapp is a good writer, but this is not an entirely successful novel. Some of his people are real, their speech is vigorous, and their concerns are vital for youth today and those of us who care for them. He writes sympathetically of African-American teens, capturing the rhythm of their words and even, on the page, the motion of their young bodies. But teachers and librarians will have to push this over-long novel narrated by one of the few whites in a correctional institution for young teens and preteens. Besides hazing of the cruelest sort, there is not a lot of action, except in the mind of the narrator and in the flowing, juicy language. Nor is there a lot happening emotionally, either between these young people or between them and the adults in their lives. If they are experiencing much besides language, night thoughts, and bodily rhythms, Rapp does not show us until almost too late in the book. Many potentially powerful scenes are understated in a clichéd cool, which itself approaches the very sentimentality Rapp tries valiantly to avoid. One of the novel's strengths is its demonstration that these youths incarcerated for criminal activity possess little sense of having done anything wrong. They do not even have the sociopath's hostility to society. Others in society are only haves from whom they, as have-nots, naturally steal. If the narrator's sexual precocity at twelve is jarring, the frankness of these young men's nightly, lonely masturbating feels believable and right. Unfortunately, somewhat more than halfway into the novel, Rapp begins explaining some of his colorful language. He does it well, but it is a mistake. If he was going to make this mistake, I wish he had made it much earlier so that I would have known sooner than I did what it meant to "clip hoodies." Rapp knew how to end his story, and the end is effective. So is a lot else: "If you buffalo another juvie it means you make him climb the dead tree in front of Spalding. If you're getting buffaloed you can either chuck or climb right up there and sit in those branches for everyone to see." That is a good example of Rapp's good writing. But 188 pages of it are a lot without more focus, more substantive characterization, and more suspense. My "S" grade-level interest is based on content and language. The S seems right, although I know that youthful readers seldom enjoy books about kids younger that themselves. VOYA Codes: 4Q 3P S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses, Will appeal with pushing, Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).
School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up--The brutal world of a juvenile detention center is the setting for this compelling story of survival and redemption, re-created through a 13 year old's inventive use of language. (June)
School Library Journal
Gr 7 UpThirteen-year-old Sura describes his life in the Hamstock Juvenile Detention Center where he is serving a six-month sentence for "clipping hoodies." Sura is hardened and street smart, but he is also a sensitive and intelligent young man who struggles to survive his experience in this ugly and violent world. He befriends his cellmate, Coly Jo, a weak and vulnerable boy who falls prey to bullying inmates and administration alike. As Coly Jo succumbs to the abuses of his predators, Sura can only stand back and watch or suffer the same. Ultimately, he is triumphant in living through his sentence with his body and spirit intact. Rapp's prose is powerful, graphic, and haunting. Sura speaks in a highly original slang that is, at times, difficult to follow. As one reads further into the novel, however, it becomes easier to understand. The author creates a vivid, memorable sense of place and strong characters. The world that Rapp portrays is often ugly, disturbing, and brutal, which makes Sura's struggles all the more poignant. Although the slang may put off reluctant readers, this is a story that should have wide YA appeal. The chapters are short, the narrative is fast paced, the characters are believable and relevant, and the story is compelling. An outstanding novel of redemption and survival that will make a strong impression on readers.Edward Sullivan, New York Public Library
Kirkus Reviews
In a distinctive, compelling narrative, Sura, 12, chronicles life at a juvenile detention home, where he has been sent for stealing hood ornaments. Although the novel is written largely in street slang, Sura's voice is sympathetic and sensitive, making vivid the sometimes horrid, sometimes touching details of life in the home. Most absorbing are the characters, from the sad (roommate Coly Jo, busted for breaking into people's homes and watching them sleep) to the cold (the abusive administrator, Dean Petty) to the ridiculous (the well-meaning but clueless counselor, Deacon Bob Fly) and the frightening (bullies Boo and Hodge). Simple observations heighten the heartbreaking humiliation of Sura's roommate; while Coly Joe is tragically beaten down, physically and emotionally, Sura learns to stand up for himself and value life on the outside, home with his mother. The affecting glimpses into the lives of some of the offenders are authentic offerings of understanding, utterly free of preaching. Rapp (Missing the Piano, 1994) writes in earthy but adept language in this dark and stirring novel.
