145th Street: Short Stories - Softcover

Myers, Walter Dean

3.87

1,224 ratings by Goodreads

9780440229162: 145th Street: Short Stories

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0440229162 ISBN 13: 9780440229162

Publisher: Laurel Leaf, 2001

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A salty, wrenchingly honest collection of stories set on one block of 145th Street. We get to know the oldest resident; the cop on the beat; fine Peaches and her girl, Squeezie; Monkeyman; and Benny, a fighter on the way to a knockout. We meet Angela, who starts having prophetic dreams after her father is killed; Kitty, whose love for Mack pulls him back from the brink; and Big Joe, who wants a bang-up funeral while he's still around to enjoy it. Some of these stories are private, and some are the ones behind the headlines. In each one, characters jump off the page and pull readers right into the mix on 1-4-5.

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Review:

"That's what 145th Street is like. Something funny happens... and then something bad happens. It's almost as if the block is reminding itself that life is hard, and you have to take it seriously." Walter Dean Myers's book of interconnected short stories is a sweet and sour mix of the comedy and tragedy of the human condition, played out against the backdrop of the Harlem neighborhood that is centered around 145th Street. In this 'hood, teens will become acquainted with the mysterious 12-year-old Angela, whose sad dreams seem to predict the future for an unlucky few, and the fast-talking Jamie Farrell, a smooth basketball player who's praying that his streak of good luck doesn't end before he can ask out Celia Evora, "the finest chick in the school." They will chuckle at the affable Big Joe, who wants to enjoy his funeral party while he's still alive, yet feel their hearts tighten when Big Time Henson senses his drug addiction drawing him closer and closer to an early grave.

Myers frankly discusses the consequences of violence, drive-bys and gang war through his articulate characters, but tempers these episodes with such a love of his fictional community that every character shines through with the hope and strength of a survivor. Changing his point of view from teen to adult and back again through each vignette, Myers successfully builds a bridge of understanding between adolescents and adults that will help each group better understand the problems of the other. A worthy and recommended read that beautifully illustrates the good that can come out of a community that stands together. Newbery Honor-winning Myers has written more than 50 books, including Monster and Fallen Angels. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

From the Back Cover:

"Myers has a great natural style . . . and is completely at home in a Harlem depicted without adulation but with great affection." — The Horn Book Magazine, Starred

"Readers will find that they could settle in for hours and take it all in." — Publishers Weekly, Starred

"Fast, wry, and honest . . . the search for personal identity is at the heart of this lyrical collection, and so is the sense of the place." — Booklist, Boxed

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