First published 2011
Reese Anderson has survived twenty-two months locked in a cell at Progress juvenile facility. The fourteen-year-old lives in constant fear and isolation, watching other kids move from juvenile detention straight to adult prison. When his friend Toon faces violence, Reese must choose between staying safe and staying loyal. A work program at a senior citizens' home offers him a shot at early release. Reese doesn't want to mess up this chance, but old habits die hard. One resident, Mr. Hooft, makes his life especially difficult. Reese realizes he needs to prove something to this stubborn old man. If he can show Mr. Hooft that he's more than just another criminal, maybe he can prove it to himself too. Walter Dean Myers crafts an uncompromising first-person story about a young man searching for a way forward without losing himself.
Genres: fiction, american-fiction, mystery, crime, adolescence, juvenile
Vibes: dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, redemption
Setting: Progress
Period: 21st-century
272 pages · Paperback · Quill Tree Books
Content warnings: violence