Tyrell

The book I read was called Tyrell and the author of the book was Coe Booth. The first book of Tyrell was about how his father left and his mom lost herself almost started to forget she had two kids. The second book continues the Tyrell story as his father gets out of jail. The genes of the series are fiction.

This book is about a 16 year old boy who was living well until his dad went to jail. Then his mom started to not care about anything when Tyrell dad went to jail. They got put out their house and has to live in a shelter Tyrol little brother is a smart 8 year old that’s in special Ed because he get money for it N his mom want the money,Novisha is Tyrell childhood who turned into his girlfriend but Jasmine the church girl that likes Tyrell but he do nothing but try to get out of the shelter just to find out his so called girlfriend Novisha has been cheating on him. For example “ I can't believe you played me.”(Booth 280).

I liked the book Tyrell simply because I like to read young adults' books. The book was written for young teens that maybe go through a rough time and think they can’t get through it or wanna give up. If you are into drama and relationship problems I recommend you read Tyrell and if you enjoy it read the Bronxwood.

Book Review by Shanice P.

Tyrell

Tyrell by Coe Booth is one of the best books I’ve read in awhile. I’ve actually read a book from the author Coe Booth before, which was Bronxwood but it was when I was younger (like 6th or 7th grade) so I didn’t really have the knowledge I have now to allow me to have an opinion of the book but It was a similar story like Tyrell, also Tyrell´s Genre is a drama and the theme I chose is ¨Things do get better if you work hard for it¨. In my opinion this book allows readers to have an experience of real world problems that African American men like myself have experienced and others I’m sure have experienced as well. 

This book makes you picture what it's like for a younger individual to have all the weight on his shoulders. In the book Tryell’s dad was arrested for being a drug dealer. After his dad was arrested his family had to move to a very bad shelter. So Tyrell tries his hardest to make money for his family. But with his mom in his ear vouching for him to sell drugs like his dad he's struggling and doesn't really know what to do. Basically the book is about Tyrell’s father DJ who ends up incarcerated for drug dealing Tyrell who is 15, his little brother Troy who is 7 years old and his mother Lisa, ending up homeless and having to move to a poorer city shelter in the Bronx of New York. One quote that really intrigued me in the book is (“We still got roaches on the bed, walls, and floors, but Troy ain’t even crying ‘bout them no more. He is probably too used to them by now”). That quote initially struck me because I remember when I myself personally had to go through those times when me, my mom and brother lacked financial stability, and also I remember being around insects of all sorts, rats, etc so much to the point where it was like it didn’t bother me anymore, and I adapted to the situation I was in, and honestly it’s humbled me to become the man I am now, but continuing with my summary of the story. His mom’s bipolar attempts at trying to keep the family together financially and emotionally. After a while, everything just becomes overwhelming and Tyrell is forced to take the family’s situation into his own hands. And so after being Inspired by his father, Tyrell decides to throw a dance party in a bus garage with high charge guaranteed to try and to raise his family’s income, so they can get out of the current situation they are in. 

Honestly I really enjoyed this book and It’s one of the best I have ever read. I related to the story so much, the pain, the problem with family, having to grow up too fast, etc. I feel this book was targeted towards younger African American boys who had to experience life early as the man of their family, and I don’t think everyone could get into the book, because not everyone can relate to the struggles of the character. To me this book is perfect and I would recommend everyone to read it immediately, the author really did a great job with the use of street slang and language to build a believable setting for the characters, which isn’t often used and also creating a real life feel to the story. 

Book Review by Jaikeese K.

Tyrell

Tyrell By Coe Booth

This is the first book. I’m not sure if there is a second book to this. This book is about a young boy he is 15 years old and go by the name of Tyrell. He is growing up real fast with his dad being in jail and his mom not being able to take care of him and his little brother forces Tyrell to grow up and take responsibility so him and his brother don’t have to go back through the state. Tyrell is doing everything to prevent them from going back, he don’t want his little brother living this type of life.

Tyrell his mother and his brother is currently living in a really bad shelter called bennet. Tyrell hate living there, they have roaches everywhere in their room. Tyrell met a girl Jasmine at bennet, Jasmine is at Bennet because her sister and her boyfriend got into a bad argument that lead them to get put out of his apartment. Jasmine big sister is 18 years old their mom passed away when they were younger. Jasmine is usually always in the room by herself at bennet, so tyrell goes and spend the night with her sometimes because she don’t like to be alone. Tyrell has a girlfriend that takes good care of him because she knows what he’s going through. Her mom likes tyrell a lot because of how he treats her daughter.

   

I liked the book because it grabbed my attention on the first page I read. I’m not the type of person that likes to read so it was very surprising to me when I actually couldn’t put the book down. It makes me sad because they have to go through so much at a young age I hate they have to live that type of lifestyle. I would recommend you to read this book so you can get the main idea.

Book Review by Koko S.

Tyrell

Tyrell

Coe Booth

The book I read is “Tyrell” by Coe Booth. She’s also the author of “Kendra” and “Bronxwood”. Tyrell was published first in 2007, it’s about a teenage boy named Tyrell living with his mom and brother in a shelter while his dad is in jail. Then Kendra was published in 2008, which was about a teenage girl who doesn't know how it feels to have a real mother because she and her mother is 14 years apart and she lives with her grandmother while her mom is in college. Then, Bronxwood was published in 2011. This is about Tyrell’s life back in Bronxwood and about his pops getting out of jail and how Tyrell has to deal with this situation. Tyrell was a good book so I’m excited to read Bronxwood is about since it’s continuing onto the second chapter of Tyrell’s life. The genre of these books is young adult/drama.

The book Tyrell was about a boy named Tyrell who lives with his mother and his little brother. They got evicted because Tyrell’s dad went to jail for his 3rd time and his mother isn’t working. So, they’re living in shelters and in the book they’re currently living in a disgusting motel named Bennett. Troy feels in order to get him and his family out of there, he needs to make some money but he doesn’t wanna make illegal money cause he can’t go to jail so he starts DJing and throwing parties. “I ain’t looking to call all my pops friends cause most of them is into the same kinda illegal shit he into, and I don’t wanna end up where he at…”  -Coe Booth P.G. 108. Tyrell also has a girlfriend named Novisha and he’s in love with her. “I’m just looking at Novisha and wishing we have grown already and this was our place. She so perfect for me. It’s hard to explain, but she got everything I want in a women.” - Coe Booth P.G. 87. But right when Tyrell starts DJing and he gets enough money to get his family and apartment something else terrible happens.

I really enjoyed this book because there was never any dull moments while I was reading it. Tyrell went through some crazy things so after one thing it was always another. I love teenage drama books like the ones Coe Booth made and Bluford High books, genres like young adult/drama. They keep my attention because the situations and storylines in these books are relevant to me and my peer's lifestyles or what we’ve seen and been around. These books are actually interesting too because the drama they have in them is intense.

Book Review by Brittany J. 

Tyrell

The title of my independent book is Tyrell by Coe Booth. The theme of this book is, homelessness and the life of an African American doesn't define the person you are or what you could be later in life meaning always keep your head up.

This story is about a teenager named Tyrell who apparently can't get a break from his family. Tyrell is living(for now) with his weird mom and little brother in an homeless shelter. His dad ended up in jail. He has girlfriend who is still with him knowing he doesn't go to school anymore but she still supports and loves him, sometimes he feels like he's not good enough for her. What caught my eyes is that there is another girl at the homeless shelter that wants him and it seems like every time they see each other they end up in the bed together, Tyrell knows it's wrong but it's complicated. It gets me the fact that they could've been living in their apartment still even without their dads help but for some odd reason his mom refused to get a job and without a job you can't pay the rent, and why would you want to live in a shelter with people you don't know when you could be sleeping in your own bed at night just selfish.

I would recommend this book to student who brag about things and people who like drama. I personally liked this book because it showed me how you need to work for what you want and or need. Also it shows an example of how you're going to go to through a rough time in your life you just have to be strong enough to be able to push through it all.

Book Review by Jasmine D.

Tyrell

I read this book called Tyrell by Coe Booth. He has also written Bronxwood,Kinda like Brothers,and Kendra. The book I read is very similar to her other books and in these books the basic plot of the book is crime and drama. The theme of the story is it doesn't matter how old you are it's about how much heart you got to take care of your family without any help.

It's major theme is crime and drama. In this book it's a boy named Tyrell and his father went to jail and they are left with no money and it's just him and his seven year old little brother who is just a kid and his mom who is no help and his girlfriend Novisha wants more than he can give. He's living in a shelter but he doesn't wanna be there and he wants to get out that shelter as soon as possible but his dad went to jail for throwing parties because he was selling drugs and selling alcohol without no licenses and he was making thousands of dollars every night and keeping his family in good shape and bring food to the table. The shelter he is at is the worst he has cockroaches on the ceiling and on the clothes they have no hot water and no cable. He meets another girl named Jasmine that lives next door to them and they build a good relationship that leads him into cheating on his girlfriend Novisha but him and Jasmine has a connection that him and Novisha don't and that connection is that they are going through the struggle and they have to work but Novisha goes to a private school and doesn't have to work at all. So he comes up with a plan to get him out of this shelter it could save him or it could backfire completely and Tyrell really doesn't have a choice because everybody is relying on him especially his mom but only person he can rely on his himself.

I highly recommend you to read this book as soon as possible because it's very interesting and it relates to the real world and everything in this book is realistic. The book is very dramatic it's like you are watching a movie when you're really reading a book. You should also read it now because you won't regret reading it and the message the author is sending is powerful and true and everything she is trying to get across will get you somewhere in life beautiful.

Book Review by Cameron V.

Tyrell

The book I read for this trimester is called Tyrell written by Coe Booth, Coe Booth is a writer who has written others book like “Kindra”a girl trying to understand herself and her complicated family, and also “Bronxwood’ the sequel to tyrell. These books are similar, because it talks about teens involved with gang and addicted to drugs. Tyrell is trying to keep his little brother in school but his mom want him to sell drugs to make money, his father is in jail, nothing seem to be going right for Tyrell.

           

This book is about  a 15 year old boy name Tyrell, his mom and his seven year old brother, loses their apartment with his dad in prison   for selling drug. But even with all of these obstacles, Tyrell come up with a plan to make some quick money, his plan is to host a big party. Will he be able to take care of his family, or  will he end up in jail like his dad?.

From my perspective, I would recommend Tyrell to others because this book is based on teens who are struggling and involving in criminal activity when you have to get by any means to understands what is it like to live in poverty, to take care of your family at the age of 15. I truly suggest this book because most teens could relate to issues and theme present in this book and it can be life changing moment for some teens, becoming just like your parent or choosing your own path.

Book Review by Falikou T.