Shawn Goodman

This book is coming of age novel about a boy's journey through city life and a lack of connection with positive male role models. I might paraphrase this time as: The Sea Change. There is a continual conversation about nature versus nurture that informs the internal struggle between the main character, James and his minor characters, Freddy, Horvath, Samson, etc. I have to admire this book because it's probably one of the first YA novels I've read in which the African-American character doesn't die. And the secondary setting for the book is a juvenile detention center. That alone is an impressive feat for this author. I can admire how Goodman uses the power of paradox to answer moral questions about boyhood and maturity. It's interesting how he uses the false bravery of Louis's character to force the protagonist James to ask more questions about his own choices. I was pulled into reading this book because it's one of the very few novels that facilitates powerfully, young men speaking about their own ideas about manhood and how they understand it. However, I do believe that some of the circumstances following some stereotypes (Two white guards, friendship, and Brokeback Moutain) for example, would be one great stereotype even if that was a joke. I give the novel three starts for it's pacing and I like that it leaves readers wondering if James does go on to greatness. I think that the author wrote this book to ignite a larger conversation about the indequacies of juvenile detention centers overall. He wants all to consider what purpose they serve and are they truly saving the children they are meant to assist?… (més)

Written by an author who has vast experience in the child detention system, this is an incredible book of young 17 year old Shavonne who has somehow survived a very traumatic childhood, a life of failed foster home experiences and now resides in a juvenile detention facility.

Grieving the loss of her child, Shavonne lashes out at everyone, especially those she thinks are trying to help her.
The clock is ticking as she will soon be released from the facility and will have to face the outside world. Luckily, she is fortunate to have a dedicated, burnt out counselor who is watching the time slip with her as he attempts to allow her to face her demons and realize that so much of what happened to her at an early age, was none of her fault.

Superbly written, this is a truthful depiction of a young woman who must begin to make good decisions so that the rest of her life is not like the terrible years before.… (més)

James has little to hold on to except his love for his disintegrating family. After he's sent to a detention center for dealing drugs, he has to figure out how to survive there without transforming into something he doesn't want to be. A meditation on the construction of manhood, told by a narrator it's easy to empathize with. Much like James's feelings about [b:The Sea Wolf|43049|The Sea Wolf|Jack London|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1389481608s/43049.jpg|2062963], I felt that James's death at the end of the novel side stepped the question of whether he could retain his self-respect without fighting.… (més)