Handbook for Boys

August 5, 2002
James's strong portrayals of the African-American men and boys in a Harlem barbershop aren't enough to help this audiobook overcome the preachy tone of Myers's novel. Duke, owner of a barbershop on 145th Street (familiar territory in Myers's works), has dedicated his golden years to starting a community mentoring program for boys headed for trouble. As a result, 16-year-old Jimmy and 17-year-old Kevin work after school in the shop instead of being sent to juvenile detention center for infractions they have committed. While at the barbershop, they hear countless life lessons from Duke and his cronies, who use various members of the community as examples of paths not to take. James gives Duke a slow, smooth and sonorous delivery and Jimmy a believable rhythm for his contemporary vernacular. Die-hard Myers fans will probably stay with this recording, but a good number of young listeners will be turned off by its didactic nature. Simultaneous release with the Harper/ Amistad hardcover.
Ages 10-up.

May 1, 2002
Gr 8 Up-Myers prefaces his new novel with an explanation of his belief that adult mentors can help teens choose positive paths in their lives. The book begins with a judge giving 16-year-old Jimmy the option of being assigned to a juvenile facility for six months for assaulting a classmate or to a community-mentoring program. Of course, he chooses the latter and begins his relationship with Duke Wilson, the owner of a neighborhood barbershop where he will work every day after school. Duke is an older man who, with several of his cronies, tries to give Jimmy and Kevin (another troubled youth) advice about the decisions and paths they will choose as they travel through life. This is imparted by using characters who visit the shop as good or bad examples of people who think independently, who take responsibility for their actions, who are on drugs, or who believe they can solve their own problems. Although the conversations provide valuable life lessons, they come across as didactic and preachy. Much more realistic are the one-on-one scenes between Jimmy and other characters, like his mother and, particularly, his contemporaries. The teen's perspective is the vehicle that carries the story and by book's end readers know he will make it while Kevin has more to learn. Marketed as a work of fiction, the book becomes transparent; as a handbook, it could touch many lives.-Joanne K. Cecere, Monroe-Woodbury High School, Central Valley, NY

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 31, 2003
"Returning to the setting for his 145th Street: Short Stories, the author juxtaposes a sketch of the 16-year-old narrator's home life with nuggets of wisdom delivered by the neighborhood barber with wit and tact," according to PW. Ages 10-up.