Dark

June 4, 2001
In a new twist on the growing genre of "thug noir," Jasper tells the poignant story of 19-year-old Thai Williams, whose life is turned upside down when he kills a rival for his girl's affections after walking in on the two in bed together. A resident of the infamous Shaw neighborhood in Washington, D.C., Thai is considered the intellectual in a foursome of young black men. The other three are Enrique, the blessed one; Ray Ray, the loco; and Snowflake, the hoodlum. Leaving behind his government job and plans for college, Thai flees to Charlotte, N.C., to hide out in an apartment provided by one of his friends. In terse, fluid prose, Jasper paints effortless, three-dimensional portraits of all of the key players. Set against the backdrop of the young African-American communities in both D.C. and Charlotte, the book addresses critical issues without preaching. What sets this novel apart are the high quality of the writing and the carefully developed themes of responsibility and redemption; each person Thai meets during his flight from the law brings him closer to emotional maturity. Jasper's engrossing debut evades stereotype, zeroing in with style and substance on what it takes to not only survive but to thrive as a young black man in the killing streets of the inner city.

June 15, 2001
This undistinguished, morally troubling first novel features Thai Williams, a 19-year-old African American from the mostly mean streets of Washington, DC, who narrates a murder he commits and his subsequent event-filled week hiding out in Charlotte, NC. As an attempt at urban realism, it must inevitably be compared with Richard Wright's Native Son but it falls short in almost every way. Weak in characterization, clich d in language, littered with brand names (with unsolicited and unreimbursed product placements?), and often embodying an adolescent male's sexual fantasies, the novel verges on (and, frankly, sometimes crosses over into) a realm of stereotype that might have been found in a pre-Civil Rights Movement white racist novel. What is worse, the book seems to condone murder as a vehicle for self-realization and self-understanding. The author definitely missed a great opportunity to explore the rich and complicated culture of black Washington, DC. Instead, without apparent irony, Dark aspires to being the novelistic equivalent of an MTV gangsta rap video with all the insight and profundity one might expect from that. Not recommended. Roger A. Berger, Everett Community Coll., Everett, WA

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2001
Adult/High School-Thai Williams is a 19-year-old graduate of the DC public schools, and an entry-level government employee. He has vague aspirations to attend the University of the District of Columbia, but he never makes any concrete moves toward that goal. He divides his time among his job; his wild, streetwise friends; and his girlfriend, Sierra. His world crumbles when he finds her making love to another young man named Nick. He wants to beat up the interloper in a public place as revenge, but his friends put a loaded gun in his hand, and he ends up killing his rival instead. Thai flees to Charlotte, NC, to hide out with E, a friend who has recently relocated there. While he waits for interest in Nick's murder to subside, E introduces him to a whole new lifestyle that is more affluent, much less violent, and full of opportunities to advance socially and economically. The author of this page-turner is a 25-year-old native of Washington, DC, and he peppers the dialogue with contemporary slang and speech patterns. The story of this young black man makes an interesting contrast to Richard Wright's Native Son (HarperCollins, 1998).-Joyce Fay Fletcher, Rippon Middle School, Prince William County, VA

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2001
Nineteen-year-old Thai has never been outside his northwest Washington, D.C., neighborhood until he walks in on his girlfriend with another man. Thai isn't emotionally involved with the young woman, but she has recently miscarried his baby, and a certain possessiveness impels him to hunt for her new lover. When the opportunity for revenge presents itself, Thai is too self-absorbed to see that it is just part of another cycle of black youths killing one another. Thai's friends urge him on and even give him a gun. He kills in a blind rage and flees to Charlotte, N.C., where childhood friend Enrique is living a legitimate life with his long-estranged mother. Through a series of encounters, Thai begins to question how he has lived and how to live the rest of his life carrying the burden of his sin. Jasper captures the voices and rhythms of inner-city youth culture in Thai's struggle to find peace and meaning in life beyond the constraints of a meager urban environment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)