The Steep And Thorny Way

The Steep And Thorny Way by Cat Winters, 335 pages

“A thrilling reimagining of Shakespeare's Hamlet, The Steep and Thorny Way tells the story of a murder most foul and the mighty power of love and acceptance in a state gone terribly rotten. 1920s Oregon is not a welcoming place for Hanalee Denney, the daughter of a white woman and an African-American man. She has almost no rights by law, and the Ku Klux Klan breeds fear and hatred in even Hanalee's oldest friendships. Plus, her father, Hank Denney, died a year ago, hit by a drunk-driving teenager. Now her father's killer is out of jail and back in town, and he claims that Hanalee's father wasn't killed by the accident at all but, instead, was poisoned by the doctor who looked after him--who happens to be Hanalee's new stepfather.The only way for Hanalee to get the answers she needs is to ask Hank himself, a "haint" wandering the roads at night.” This book was a little hard to read because of the subject matter but it was very well done.  Teens who like historical fiction need to read this book.

Dodgers

  

Dodgers by Bill Beverly       304 pages

East is 15 years-old and lives/works in the inner city section of South Central Los Angeles called The Boxes, that’s about as poverty stricken as can be. He has seen more than most of us ever see in a lifetime. He’s in a gang; it’s works the midnight shift keeping watch over a drug den. Most nights, after work, he breaks into an office building’s basement and sleeps, undetected, under a box.

The gang’s leader, Fin, has a soft spot for East. However, a soft spot in a drug dealer is much different than soft spots in others.

The house is busted one night, but everyone gets way. Fin has a new job for East: kill a judge who is the key eyewitness in an upcoming trial. East, ready to be a man, steps up to the challenge. Following Fin’s orders, he climbs in a ratty van along with three others: Michael Wilson, oldest of the bunch; Walter, the fat kid, and Ty, East’s equally-hardened younger brother. East has never been outside of his neighborhood, and the trip is both frightening and exciting.

The quartet sets off for Wisconsin where the judge is hiding until the trial begins. Author Bill Beverly does an amazing job of making the reader feel as h/she is along for the ride. The trip takes about half of the story, but Beverly does an excellent job in keep the sentences fresh. Writing about driving halfway across the country and keeping it fresh, even with their side adventure, is a masterful feat. Tension rides high on each page.

The hit is completed, but there are complications. Complications that have a lasting, deep impact on East. I can’t give too much away, but East is at a crossroads. Does he go back to LA and live with the consequences or does he stay in the Midwest and start over?

East winds up in Iowa, at a paintball range, sleeping in the storage room under a box. Perry, the range’s owner, becomes somewhat of a father figure to the young man. When East’s past resurfaces, it’s up to him to determine his fate.

I think this was an amazing book. I don’t often care to read book about gangs and violence, but this one captured my attention from the opening paragraph. Beverly shows a lot of empathy toward East, who in many, many ways reminded me of Richard Wright’s Bigger Thomas. Beverly writes with such first-hand knowledge of an African-American teen, I was truly surprised to discover that he is a white dude. Tagged as a young adult novel, Dodgers deftly crosses the line into adult fiction.

I give Dodgers 5 out of 5 stars. I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.