Customer Reviews

11 reviews

• Kirkus Reviews

  Nelson offers a novella about a resilient young man navigating adolescence and young adulthood in a tough city neighborhood. At age 9, Pierre Muhammad moves to Quindaro, or “the ‘Q,’” a financially struggling and often violent part of Kansas City, Missouri. He learns to box in order to survive, but when he’s just 12, a group of older men ambush him and give him a beating. His good friend Ben, along with Ben’s brothers, take a form of retribution called a “dig”: They take Pierre’s assailants, beaten and bound, to a remote section of Quindaro Park and bury them with only their heads sticking up out of the ground, and leave them there for days: “The dig was going to mess them up permanently,” narrates Pierre. Aside from this act, and despite pervasive violence, unemployment, and poverty in the area where he lives, he decides not to turn to crime. He takes his hardworking mother’s emphasis on structure and education to heart and does well in school; he later attends Penn Valley Community College, followed by the University of Missouri at Kansas City, where he graduates with an engineering degree. While employed in his field, saving money, and looking forward to a better life, he saves two very young girls, Darlene and Dionne, from an impending assault; the incident goes on to change all their lives. Over the course of this wide-ranging novella, Nelson presents readers with a brief, briskly paced story that is gritty, violent, funny, and tender, by turns. Its descriptions of violence and retribution are frequently graphic. However, the sometimes-bawdy humor interspersed throughout the narrative lightens the tone: “We were so poor that if I hadn’t been born a male, I wouldn’t have had anything to play with.” At its heart, however, this is a story about hanging tough, taking full advantage of opportunities that are available, and creating and supporting a family. A harsh but engaging story of overcoming obstacles

• Stacey Polycarpe

  Very good book. The underlying message is very powerful. An easy read and interesting.

• Francois

  I read this book from cover to cover and I have to say I laughed the whole time. This is a really good read, although I laughed throughout the book it also had a serious message. Good job to the author.

• Angel

  I want to say that I loved reading this book!!!Although I didn’t finish it in one sitting like I could have, I know that I did not want to put the book down because I wanted to see what was going to happen in the next chapter. I love Meanie Me’s character! There is definitely a motivating and positive message in this book, and that is that against all odds, with focus and perseverance, you can be like a Phoenix and rise above the ashes of your situation and succeed. The one-liners and jokes throughout the book had me rolling on the floor laughing, which made it such a fun story to read about. Kudos to the author for weaving together the intricacies of life so well!! Angel

• Lady

  This book had me at an awww and gave me many laughs also. This book should turn into a movie script one day soon. A must read btw.

• S. Skinner

  I read the book from cover to cover, this book is so funny I couldn’t stop laughing and at the same time it has a deep meaning. It would be nice to see this book in a movie format. Loved it and I hope the author continues writing.

• T Foster

  This book is so inspiring! It’s refreshing to hear about people succeeding after enduring the struggle. Excited to read more by this author!!!

• KeKe

  Ok Preston I knew it would be a great book just like the other one I read. You know once I get. Started reading your books I can’t stop til I’m done …..I ENJOYED IT…..

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