Dark Sons

Grimes, Nikki. Dark Sons. Goudy and Goudy Sans: New York, 2005.

Annotation

Two boys in different time frames face the same pain due to the actions of their fathers.

Justification For Nomination

In this poetic novel, Ishmael and Sam face the same issue of their fathers leaving for reasons each boy continually questions. Ishmael being from Africa, and Sam an inner city American boy, gives the book a two part first person narrative deliverance. Each character relates to their situation differently, but the pain is felt equally. Some pieces in this verse novel are short, while others dig deep to explain the situation at hand, but non the less, Grimes never skips a beat when writing to the reader. Whether you have been through Ishmael or Sam's pain doesn't disqualify you from being able to relate to this book. It shows a side of two young men that only a friend is supposed to see. As soon as the plot looks dark, and there seems to be no positives in store for these two compassionate boys, the turn around is one that you will want to take with you.

Genre: Verse Novel