Miracle's Boys

This book is totally different from any of the others I've read this semester. It has a voice distinctly rooted in the urban culture and youthful insights of the narrator, Lafayette. He and his two brothers, Ty'ree and Charlie, are fighting to survive as a family without the pillars of a mother or father, both of whom have passed away before the novel begins. With Ty'ree taking on the responsibility of raising his two brothers, and Charlie dealing with the stress of being the trouble making middle child, Lafayette often imagines his mother is there and carries out conversations with her memory as a means of surviving his situation. It is through such memories that we, as readers, are able to piece together the picture of this family and how each character has come to be what they are now.

What ends up resolving the story, which takes place during a very short time, is Lafayette's ability to break down the barrier between himself and Charlie. He realizes how distanced he has been from the only family he has left, and decides to unite his brothers once again. We are left with a feeling of hope at the conclusion of the novel as the three brothers are pictured together, ready to try and build up a family if for no other reason than to make it in a really harsh world.

I was a little turned off of this book at first because it has such a young feel to it. However, it's message is strong and universal. I guess my initial dislike of it was very much a result of never having read "inner city" literature before. Which, in itself, is really kind of sad. I would hope that more and more books like this could be used in schools to create a greater feeling of connections for a bigger scope of students. It has something in it for those kids who aren't reached by books about the typical angsty white kid who just isn't satisfied with suburban living.

I ended up feeling really good about the book as something I could use in my classroom. I want to have a library that includes novels that reach beyond the kind of student I am, the only kind of student that I've experienced. I know I am going to encounter all sorts of students with a multitude of different problems and I feel better about it each time I read or experiences something that could act as a reference point. It has thematic value, things like family, survival, hardship, etc, that could make it really worthy of discussion and student response. In short, this one's going on the bookshelf.