Bang!

When Mann's younger brother, Jason, is shot to death on their porch, the family is nearly destroyed. Mann's father is so terrified about losing another son that he decides to leave Mann and his friend, Kee-lee, in the woods, forcing them to survive as they enact an ancient African tradition. Narrator Dominic Hoffman beautifully illustrates the grief and hopelessness of the family, as well as the moments of joy that temporarily bring everyone out of their pain. Flake uses the seldom-examined relationship of an African-American father and son to convey her view of contemporary life. A closing interview with the author offers a glimpse into her intentions in this tragic but hopeful story. S.G.B. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

October 24, 2005
In a contemporary, hard-hitting survival tale set in a neighborhood where people get shot "for no real reason," Flake (The Skin I'm In
) follows an African-American boy's harrowing initiation into manhood. Two years after Mann's seven-year-old brother is killed in a drive-by shooting, the boys' father decides to teach 13-year-old Mann, who narrates, the same lesson received by boys in African tribes. He drives Mann and his best friend, Kee-lee, into the woods and leaves them there to fend for themselves. Wild animals prove to be less of a threat than the people the boys encounter, and once they do return to the city, Mann's father turns them out again to find out what direction they want to take in life ("You wanna be a pimp—well, there's a road that'll lead you there. Wanna be a thief, sell crack and live high and die hard—well, that road's waiting for you too," says Mann's father). The method used to induct Mann into a violent world will spark as much controversy among readers as it does among characters in the book, but in the end, Mann (who fares better than his friend Kee-lee) does learn some important lessons that go beyond survival. There is a gradual yet notable change in his morality as he searches his soul to find what kind of man he wants to be. Ages 12-up.