professornana (professornana) wrote,
professornana
professornana
  • Location: home today, gone tomorrow
  • Mood: contemplative

Dope Sick

Walter Dean Myers offers readers a sobering experience in his forthcoming book (HarperTeen, February 2009), DOPE SICK. I do not have a cover to show, but that should not matter in the least when it comes to sharing this book with teens. Lil J is broke sick. His life seems to be one huge downward spiral. He does not do well in school because things are not well at home. He can't get a job; there seems to be no escape. Now, he is wounded in a drug deal gone south. Wandering into what he thinks is a vacant apartment building, he encounters Kelly, a stranger who sits with his remote showing Lil J what is unfolding on the streets below. If he could change his life, Kelly asks, what would Lil J do?

Pondering when things truly went wrong is something new to Lil J and, I suspect, to many readers as well. Making decisions, living through rationalizations (so guilty here myself), and coming up with excuses do nothing to cure what ails Lil J. Broke sick or dope sick or just sick of the cards life has dealt: how many of the teens we see know this life? How many feel as helpless as Lil J? Myers has given readers lots to ponder and to talk about.
Tags: walter dean myers, ya books
Subscribe

  • some observations

    I completed my self-quarantine today, 2 weeks after flying home from a visit with the great-granddaughter. As far as I know, I remain uninfected by…

  • Self-Quarantine marches forward

    I am now in the 11th day of self-quarantine. I suspect that there are many more days ahead as BH and I try our best NOT to become a statistic. While…

  • a week in quarantine=many books read

    As I said in the first post this week: when it is quiet here, it is time to read. While I have not quite cleared the stacks back in my work room, I…

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    default userpic

    Your reply will be screened

    Your IP address will be recorded 

    When you submit the form an invisible reCAPTCHA check will be performed.
    You must follow the Privacy Policy and Google Terms of use.
    Help
  • 1 comment