Bang! - Hardcover

Flake, Sharon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786818441 ISBN 13: 9780786818440

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2005

Synopsis

Mann is only thirteen, yet he has already had to deal with more than most go through in a lifetime. His family is still reeling from the tragic shooting death of his little brother, Jason, each person coping with grief in his or her own way. Mann's mother has stopped eating and is obsessed with preserving Jason's memory, while his father is certain that presenting a hard edge is the only way to keep his remaining son from becoming a statistic. Mann used to paint and ride horseback, but now he's doing everything he can to escape his emotions: getting involved in fights at school, joyriding at midnight, and much worse. His father, at his wit's end, does the only thing he thinks will teach his son how to be a man he abandons him and his friend Kee Lee in the woods, leaving them to navigate their way home, alone.

About this title

About the Author:

Sharon G. Flake won the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award for her first novel The Skin I'm In and is a two-time Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book winner. Belived by children and adults, critics and booksellers, librarians and teachers, she is the author of six books for yourng adults that have sold more than half a million copies. The mother of a college-age daughter, Flake writes full time from her home in Pitsburgh.

From AudioFile:

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. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0786818441
• ISBN 13: 9780786818440
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320