| Booktalk
#1
Jimmy Lynch is in big trouble.
He's been charged with assault and now he's facing 6 months in a youth
facility. But he's lucked out. The judge has assigned him to
work in Duke's Barbershop instead. Duke Wilson does more than run
a barbershop. He also mentors teenagers in trouble. What Jimmy
learns from Duke and his customers is much more valuable than he could
ever have dreamed. What can he learn about being young and Black
and growing up in Harlem? What can three old men in a Harlem barbershop
possibly teach a troubled teen?
Booktalk #2
Growing up is hard work! Sixteen year old Jimmy learns this lesson the
hard way when he finds himself charged with assault after losing his temper
with a classmate. He is given the option of spending six months in a youth
facility or performing community service at Duke's Barbershop in his Harlem
neighborhood. Jimmy gradually discovers that a lot can be learned from
the people who visit the barbershop. Duke, along with his two old cronies,
Mister M and Cap, challenge Jimmy and another teen, Kevin, with real life
scenarios of success and failures. Although life does not come with an
instruction manual, Jimmy comes to realize that life is a series of active
choices and in order to succeed, you need to have a plan. As Duke reminds
him , "one of the main reasons people get themselves messed around is that
they reach a point at which they becomes spectators in their own lives.
People get discouraged, or sometimes they don't know what to do, and just
stop being!
players."
Narrated in an easy to read style through Jimmy's point of view, "Handbook
for Boys" offers entertainment to even reluctant readers. As Walter Dean
Myers mentions in his forward, he hopes this novel will be a great "jumping
off point for many interesting conversations about success." He reminds
us of the importance of mentors and supportive role models in the lives
of all youths.
Walter Dean Myers is an accomplished author and award winner. Some of his
recent titles include "Monster", winner of the Printz award, "Fallen Angels",
"Slam!", "Hoops" and "Scorpions". His autobiographical account, "Bad Boy:
A memoir" is a wonderful supplement to this novel. He has also written
a number of biographies and historical fiction books highlighting African
American. (Barbara Elkins, bjelkins@adelphia.net
Hilton
Head High School, Hilton Head Island, SC) |
