"I thought Dylan's straight-forward, no frills account of a Black teenager in a marginalized community was compelling and eye-opening. The tone of the book was refreshingly objective, and I liked that Dylan did not inject false heroism into any the characters, or demand that the reader always be sympathetic. When unpleasant situations arose in the story, Dylan made it clear when Justin was to blame, when society was to blame, and even when he, Dylan, was to blame.

The book's account of mentoring showed how important and extremely necessary it is to involve oneself with youth in a disadvantaged community. However, his account also demonstrated how difficult mentoring can be and that there are complex systemic issues that no one person can solve. There were many times in the story where a less patient person would likely get frustrated and give up because it did not seem that any progress was being made, but Dylan made it clear that just by being around, by being another person for Justin to turn to, he was helping in some way."

Rebecca Martin