A Hero Ain't Nothin' But A Sandwich (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

Childress, Alice

ISBN 10: 0881032549 ISBN 13: 9780881032543

Publisher: Turtleback Books, 2000

Synopsis

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. The life of a 13-year-old Harlem black boy, on his way to becoming a confirmed heroin addict, is seen from his viewpoint and from that of several people around him.

About this title

Review:

Dope. Smack. Junk. Heroin. No matter what you call it, you can't change the fact that 13-year-old Benjie is on it. Oh no ... he's not hooked, though. He could stop anytime ... really. But why is a young kid like Benjie using at all? Originally published in 1973, Alice Childress's novel remains one of the most profound explorations of an addict's world ever written. What makes this novel different is that Childress points no fingers and offers no easy answers. Her characters' moods and motivations are complex, fresh, unexpected, and courageously real. Woven into Benjie's own ramblings about his situation are the thoughts of those involved by association--his mother, stepfather, friends, the pusher, and teachers at his school. This narrative technique creates a rich, heroic portrait of the social and psychological circumstances of addiction, love, and family.

From the Back Cover:

Benjie can stop using heroin anytime he wants to. He just doesn't want to yet. Why would he want to give up something that makes him fell so good, so relaxed, so tuned out? As Benjie sees it, there's nothing much to tune in for. School is a waste of time, and home life isn't much better. All Benjie wants is for someone to believe in him, for someone to believe that he's more than a thirteen-year-old junkie. But Benjie can't kick heroin for his mother or for his teachers. He needs to do it for himself.

About this edition

• Publisher: Turtleback Books
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0881032549
• ISBN 13: 9780881032543
• Binding: School & Library Binding
• Number of pages: 128