By Walter Dean Myers
Fifteen-year-old Jimmy is struggling with his life in tenth grade. He's a smart kid but he misses a lot of school. His elderly guardian, Mama Jean, is loving but unable to keep tabs on Jimmy because she's working hard to make ends meet. So things are hard enough when Jimmy's estranged father appears out of the blue on their New York City doorstep.
Jimmy's father, Crab, has been in prison for 9 years. He wants to reconnect with his son, but doesn't really know how to begin. He convinces Jimmy to leave New York and drive to Chicago with him, where he says he has a job waiting for him. On the road Jimmy starts to feel more and more uncomfortable, but also develops some empathy for his father. Things get more complicated when they get to the city; it turns out Crab doesn't actually have a job, he's walked out of prison, and he has a serious illness.
The two of them leave for Arkansas, eventually, in a stolen rental car, and make it to Crab's hometown. There they meet a cast of characters from Crab's past and Jimmy learns about some of the struggles in his father's life--and realizes he cares about him. In the end, Jimmy and Crab discover some truths about each other and themselves that will bring both joy and sadness.
This book is an incredibly poignant story of a tough relationship, and the need people have to understand their past and their family ties. It is a story of redemption and perseverance, as well as strength and bravery. Walter Dean Myers writes exquisitely of a complex and haunted relationship between father and son.
(ISBN: 0-545-05577-6)
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