Abstract: Seeing no way out of his difficult life in Harlem, seventeen-year-old Jeremy "Lil J" Dance flees into a house after a drug deal goes awry and meets a weird man who shows different turning points in Lil J's life when he could have made better choices.
Publisher: Amistad/HarperTeen, 186 p.
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2 comments:
*****SPOILER ALERT*********
Myers presents a well drawn character in Lil' J, but that he "portrays growth and development during the course of the story," per the CSK criteria, is up for debate. His growth, or his subsequent change that leads him to his present situation is developed in flashbacks, but the reader is left to wonder, debate, discuss, if he will be able to grow and change in a positive way.
Wow. I didn't expect magical realism from Walter Dean Myers, so at first this book was confusing. Plus, it could all have been in Little J's head and therefore not really magical realism at all.
I agree that it's hard to determine if Little J really grows through the course of the story since the ending is so ambiguous.
I think Dope Sick is an interesting story that could spark discussion among teens, but I don't think it's as exceptional as Monster or Fallen Angels. To me, it's not a CSK contender.
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