Beverly, Bill. Dodgers. New York: Crown. 2016. Print.
First Sentences:
The boys stood guard. They watched light fill between the black houses separated only barely, like a row of loose teeth.
Description:
The Boxes was all the boys knew; it was the only space.In the street one car moved, between the whole vehicles and skeletal remains, creeping over paper and glass.
The boys stood guard. They watched light fill between the black houses separated only barely, like a row of loose teeth.
Description:
Maybe not a book for everyone, Bill Beverly's debut novel Dodgers takes readers on a wild, potentially violent ride across country. But for those intrepid readers willing to take a bit of a chance, Dodgers packs a wallop of a story.
Fifteen-year-old East, a gang member from Los Angeles, works for his uncle Fin by standing guard over a neighborhood drug house to alert those inside when police are near. After the house is raided, East is given a new mission with three other gang members: to travel cross country and kill a potential witness who will soon testify against Fin. The kicker is that these would-be killers range in ages from 13 to 20. The youngest, Ty, is East's estranged, violent brother.
The four set out to drive from LA to Wisconsin. Most boys have never been outside East LA much less the cold of the Midwest. Allowed to carry only false driver's licenses and cash for food and gas, the boys are to go straight to the destination without delay, pick up guns and directions, carry out the job, and return to LA.
But can they survive this journey with all the testosterone, jealousy, and violence simmering among them? When things begin to fall apart almost immediately, East must decide who can and cannot be trusted in their group to carry out the mission.
There are many unexpected twists and turns throughout the car trip and when they actually face their target, East is forced to make take actions that will preserve him without endangering Fin or the Los Angeles operations. But will those actions be accepted by his traveling partners and the people he encounters in the desolation of the rural small towns he encounters so far from Fin and the urban setting of LA?
I wanted to put this book down several times in the first chapters due to the language and potential for violence. But the writing was so gripping, the adventure so compelling, and the characters so challenging to me that I plunged on and boy, was I glad I stayed with it. The conflict between East and his brother, between East and his gang's mission, and the decisions he makes to shape his life are constantly surprising and challenging to readers as he faces this new world of cold and small towns.
This is author Beverly's first book, so I am eager to see where he will take me next. Should be another exciting trip.
Fifteen-year-old East, a gang member from Los Angeles, works for his uncle Fin by standing guard over a neighborhood drug house to alert those inside when police are near. After the house is raided, East is given a new mission with three other gang members: to travel cross country and kill a potential witness who will soon testify against Fin. The kicker is that these would-be killers range in ages from 13 to 20. The youngest, Ty, is East's estranged, violent brother.
The four set out to drive from LA to Wisconsin. Most boys have never been outside East LA much less the cold of the Midwest. Allowed to carry only false driver's licenses and cash for food and gas, the boys are to go straight to the destination without delay, pick up guns and directions, carry out the job, and return to LA.
But can they survive this journey with all the testosterone, jealousy, and violence simmering among them? When things begin to fall apart almost immediately, East must decide who can and cannot be trusted in their group to carry out the mission.
There are many unexpected twists and turns throughout the car trip and when they actually face their target, East is forced to make take actions that will preserve him without endangering Fin or the Los Angeles operations. But will those actions be accepted by his traveling partners and the people he encounters in the desolation of the rural small towns he encounters so far from Fin and the urban setting of LA?
I wanted to put this book down several times in the first chapters due to the language and potential for violence. But the writing was so gripping, the adventure so compelling, and the characters so challenging to me that I plunged on and boy, was I glad I stayed with it. The conflict between East and his brother, between East and his gang's mission, and the decisions he makes to shape his life are constantly surprising and challenging to readers as he faces this new world of cold and small towns.
This is author Beverly's first book, so I am eager to see where he will take me next. Should be another exciting trip.
Happy reading.
Fred
Fred
www.firstsentencereader.blogspot.com
If this book interests you, be sure to check out:
Slouka, Mark. Brewster
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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:
Slouka, Mark. Brewster
A tremendously interesting coming-of-age story of four teenagers struggling to find answers to relationships and their own identities while attending high school. This is much better than I have described, superior to Catcher in the Rye for looking into the minds of young, interesting, challenged characters facing difficult life situations. (previously reviewed here)
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