No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row

Written by Susan Kuklin

A book for readers in grades 9 and up reviewed by Jose

        

Susan Kuklin’s No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row is a series of interviews conducted by the author with prisoners who are or have been teenagers on death row in the United States. Each chapter is an interview the author has conducted with a different prisoner in a different time period and state. In short, it lets prisoners talk about their lives in prison and their feelings towards their sentence. It also exposes the issues that are prevalent in the justice system. 

I liked No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row because I got to read about prisoners’ lives, which allowed me to develop more of an understanding from their perspectives. Each interview was interesting and grabbed my attention. I would say that some of the chapters may have been a bit too short, as well as didn’t reveal what happened to the person being interviewed. Overall, I would recommend this book to people who like to read about crime and are interested in criminal justice.

The Freedom Writers Diary

Written by The Freedom Writers and Erin Gruwell

A book for readers in grades 8 and up reviewed by Melissa

      

This book consists of diary entries written in the 1990s by high school students and their teacher, Erin Gruwell. During this time, Erin Gruwell began working at Woodrow Wilson Classical High School in Long Beach, California. Financial issues and problems with schooling led people from different districts and classes to be placed in one school, where students were separated based on their academic scores. The book discusses how almost all minority students were placed in classes for below average students. Meanwhile, white kids were placed in more advanced classes, and Ms. Gruwell was assigned to teach kids in the “below average classes.”

I read The Freedom Writers Diary because I watched the film adaptation, so I was interested to see how the story was portrayed in the book. What I liked most about the book was that it is very detailed. This gives readers an understanding of the experiences faced by the Freedom Writers. The book discusses very serious and mature topics, such as abuse, rape, abortion, etc. I liked how the book kept the students' identities anonymous, which I feel allowed them to be more open in expressing what they had experienced and felt. I would highly recommend this book to people who are interested in biographies, as well as more mature readers.

The 57 Bus

Written by Dashka Slatter

A book for readers in grades 7 and up reviewed by Melissa

    

I picked up this book because I was interested in becoming more educated on the topic of gender. Although the book shifted between past and present tense, it discussed various topics and some things that I may not have thought about before. It talked about gender, race, and mistreatment in the criminal justice system.

The book made me emotional in all aspects because it shows that making mistakes doesn’t make you a bad person. I would highly recommend this book to people who want to become more educated on its topics, such as gender and race, and for people (specifically teens) who are interested in true crime.