You Don't Even Know Me

January 21, 2010
Inner-city teens are often drawn to the harsh realism found in adult street lit, dismaying teachers and adult caregivers who worry that these young readers are not being exposed to quality literature. Flake (The Skin I'm In) fills the void with gritty yet superb prose that will entice young adults to read. Her nine stories profile a diverse group of young African American males, including a teenager pondering suicide and a 16-year-old who decides to marry his pregnant girlfriend. Thirteen brief poems are written in the form of text messages. One stands out: To the girls who text me, Then get mad when I don't text back, Oh well. Verdict Flake's writing can be teasingly brief or deeply complicated. She knows her audience, and African American teens will be thrilled to read stories about characters going through life situations similar to their own. Teachers, librarians, and parents should all acquire copies. Oh, and put it on all required readings lists, too.-Rollie Welch, Collection Manager, Cleveland P.L.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2010
Gr 8 Up-Ten portraits interspersed with poetry draw readers into the lives of a variety of African-American teens. In "Getting Even," a boy copes with his grandfather's death and the desire to find who killed him. Jeffery, 16, gets thrown out of his Auntie's house with nowhere to go. Eric goes against his dad's command to stay home with his siblings and instead finds a girl, some fun, and some trouble; Justin writes in his journal about death, suicide, and sexual abuse. La'Ron is too afraid to tell his father he is HIV positive, so he writes him a letter, and his father writes back. The concluding story, "Pretty Mothers Are a Problem," is a chilling portrait of 15-year-old Jeffrey, seduced by a neighbor, and the devastation faced by her daughter. These complex and thought-provoking stories won't disappoint."Amy Cheney, Alameda County Library, Oakland, CA"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2009
Grades 7-10 In a lively companion to Flakes Who Am I without Him? (2007), teen boys speak in stories and free-verse poems about love, fear, sex, fun, anger, sorrow, and growing up black today. Some of the strongest pieces are about love between sons and father figures, including a stepdad, grandfather, and father-in-law. Homelessness is sometimes a threat, as is the fear of dying young, amid all the violence in the hood, and one speaker talks about the responsibility he feels to help younger kids get over getting even. In contrast, a suburban kid talks about class issues. Occasionally, the entries feel therapeutic, with messages about HIV/AIDS and suicide prevention (hotlines and Web sites are appended). Best of all is the candor about hardship and the celebration of the diversity and dynamics in the characters communities.The immediate voices, with no invective or overt sex, are well-suited for readers theater and for sharing everywhere.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)