Scan barcode
licelotd's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sadiereadthat's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
This book follows a Jamaican teen who receives a scholarship to an American college to study engineering. He has a plan and ideas to help his people and his town. When something bad happened in his family, he has to start making some hard choices and it is hard to know if he is making the right ones.
I ended up really enjoying this. This young man is in a very challenging situation and I don’t event the choices he has to make. I learned a lot about some of the situations people have in Jamaica and I have a better understanding that it is more than a vacation destination. It also made me think a lot about what we owe to our families and how much we should be expected to sacrifice for them. I think this is deep and dark and may not be a good for fit all teens, but I also think very many would really enjoy it.
This book follows a Jamaican teen who receives a scholarship to an American college to study engineering. He has a plan and ideas to help his people and his town. When something bad happened in his family, he has to start making some hard choices and it is hard to know if he is making the right ones.
I ended up really enjoying this. This young man is in a very challenging situation and I don’t event the choices he has to make. I learned a lot about some of the situations people have in Jamaica and I have a better understanding that it is more than a vacation destination. It also made me think a lot about what we owe to our families and how much we should be expected to sacrifice for them. I think this is deep and dark and may not be a good for fit all teens, but I also think very many would really enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Death of parent, and Gun violence
Moderate: Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Police brutality
herskullinabook's review
3.0
Thank you to Hear Our Voices and the publisher for the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest opinions.
Three stars is being nice.
The story was very hard to get into as the beginning of the story tended to drag and didn’t seem very cohesive.
I think the plot or at least the idea of the plot was very interesting and is what made me want to read the story but I don’t feel as if the story was properly executed.
Three stars is being nice.
The story was very hard to get into as the beginning of the story tended to drag and didn’t seem very cohesive.
I think the plot or at least the idea of the plot was very interesting and is what made me want to read the story but I don’t feel as if the story was properly executed.
glendareads39's review against another edition
5.0
“This is as dark as I get, and as light as I get.”
“Out of many, one people.”
"The job is forever, Frankie. People don't leave my posse, not alive."
"His father imagination was his gift, and Frankie's curse."
"Owning money to that man is like owning the devil himself"
Gritty, emotional and action-packed #Ownvoices Caribbean novel. This book is a definite page turner. High school Senior Frankie is about to leave his home to attend college in the United States to become an engineer. I had the feels for Frankie, he really wanted to get that engineering scholarship to make his father proud and create a better life for himself. His life takes a turn for the worse when he joins his uncle's gang. By joining the posse, Frankie made a huge sacrifice to give up his scholarship and trying to save his father's life. Most of the adults in this book choose being selfish over deciding on what's best for Frankie. Aunt Jenny was the only adult who is smart and not a fool. Frankie has a girlfriend named Leah, she's trying to get Frankie out of the posse.
Your Corner Dark gives readers a different side of Jamaica that people don’t see often. The beauty and richness in lieu of the day to day struggles by citizens.
“Out of many, one people.”
"The job is forever, Frankie. People don't leave my posse, not alive."
"His father imagination was his gift, and Frankie's curse."
"Owning money to that man is like owning the devil himself"
Gritty, emotional and action-packed #Ownvoices Caribbean novel. This book is a definite page turner. High school Senior Frankie is about to leave his home to attend college in the United States to become an engineer. I had the feels for Frankie, he really wanted to get that engineering scholarship to make his father proud and create a better life for himself. His life takes a turn for the worse when he joins his uncle's gang. By joining the posse, Frankie made a huge sacrifice to give up his scholarship and trying to save his father's life. Most of the adults in this book choose being selfish over deciding on what's best for Frankie. Aunt Jenny was the only adult who is smart and not a fool. Frankie has a girlfriend named Leah, she's trying to get Frankie out of the posse.
Your Corner Dark gives readers a different side of Jamaica that people don’t see often. The beauty and richness in lieu of the day to day struggles by citizens.
danzibooks's review
4.0
Your Corner Dark is a debut, Own Voices novel that illustrates the harsh social, political, and economic realities of many Jamaicans.
We meet Frankie Green, a top student who receives a scholarship letter to university in the US, and is close to fulfilling his departed mother's dream for her son to live a better life. But after his father is shot, Frankie is forced to join his uncle's gang to pay for his dad's medical bills.
Your Corner Dark tells a dark story of loss, hope, love, and sacrifice. As a Jamaican who studied in the US on a scholarship, it made me reflect on the privileges that I've had. And a lot of that comes down to being raised in a supportive family. Frankie is surrounded by adults who see his potential as a tool for their own success. It was disheartening, but also entirely realistic.
I had some issues with the language and references, but overall, I look forward to reading more of Desmond's work!
--
Thanks again to Hear Our Voices Tours and Simon and Schuster for sending me a free copy of the ARC for YOUR CORNER DARK by Desmond Hall!
We meet Frankie Green, a top student who receives a scholarship letter to university in the US, and is close to fulfilling his departed mother's dream for her son to live a better life. But after his father is shot, Frankie is forced to join his uncle's gang to pay for his dad's medical bills.
Your Corner Dark tells a dark story of loss, hope, love, and sacrifice. As a Jamaican who studied in the US on a scholarship, it made me reflect on the privileges that I've had. And a lot of that comes down to being raised in a supportive family. Frankie is surrounded by adults who see his potential as a tool for their own success. It was disheartening, but also entirely realistic.
I had some issues with the language and references, but overall, I look forward to reading more of Desmond's work!
--
Thanks again to Hear Our Voices Tours and Simon and Schuster for sending me a free copy of the ARC for YOUR CORNER DARK by Desmond Hall!
rebar351's review
4.0
I read this book for my Words and Whimsy challenge for my Facebook reading group!! Man this book hit deep!! I learned a lot about gangs as well as wanting a better life for yourself but the streets pulling you back down! Highly recommend!
frederikfaultier's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
steel_city_peach's review against another edition
4.0
Intense
This story was gritty and dark. Frankie was faced with so much adversity. He lost so much throughout the book. I just wanted to see him win. He was such a lovable character. He became an unexpected hero. The book was well written. I was so invested in the storyline. I’m really glad that I read this book.
This story was gritty and dark. Frankie was faced with so much adversity. He lost so much throughout the book. I just wanted to see him win. He was such a lovable character. He became an unexpected hero. The book was well written. I was so invested in the storyline. I’m really glad that I read this book.
sorryimalwaysbooked's review
3.0
✨Fav Quote ✨
“ Jamaica was like a messed up parent: You loved it, but at the same time you wanted to leave it. You said bad things about it, but you would get mad if anyone else said something about it”
I mean how true is this quote for anything you love in life. I feel like only I can talk bad about something I love, that’s not anyone else’s place
“ Jamaica was like a messed up parent: You loved it, but at the same time you wanted to leave it. You said bad things about it, but you would get mad if anyone else said something about it”
I mean how true is this quote for anything you love in life. I feel like only I can talk bad about something I love, that’s not anyone else’s place
_jamaicangirlreads85's review
4.0
Frankie, Frankie, Frankie. As I turned the pages of this book, I kept wondering, when will Frankie catch a break? Here's an ambitious high school senior being raised by a poor single father and has high hopes of escaping the Jamaica you do not see on tourist pamphlets; the Jamaica riddened with poverty, corruption and gang violence. Frankie is smart, he exels academically and earns himself a prestigious scholarship in the U.S. but an ill fated tragedy puts his plans on hold. We find the true test of family loyalty, sacrifice and even some deception coming into play as Frankie is forced to make some unimaginable decisions.
The life he's running from is the life he's forced into by the people who should be helping him to have a better future. This made me reflect on the reality that being family or close friends is never a promise of good intentions. I cursed Uncle Joe and Bradford so many times throughout this book, I had to remind myself they were fictional characters. What's remarkable about these characters though, is the stark similarity to much of life as we know it. Unfortunately, politics breeds violence and corruption and innocent voters are still caught in the midst of this. The criminal justice system is corrupt and children continue to slip through the cracks of the education system daily. As an immigrant and a school social worker, I see the injustice. I enjoyed the cultural aspects introduced in the scenes; playing dominoes, eating bully beef sandwich under a tree, carrying water in a bucket, an adult who is always trying to give you cerasee tea, going to Hellshire Beach are all things that are embedded in Jamaican childhood experiences. I loved that Frankie embraced these as a part of who he is even while striving for better. Frankie is a fighter. Well, he's more than a fighter but I won't give too many spoilers. He's an inherently good young man who is punished for putting the needs of others before himself. For me, the pacing was a bit slow and I would've liked more of my raw, uninhibited patois but overall strong character development and there were some surprising twists that I didn't see coming. I'd be excited to have more of Leah and Frankie in the future.
The life he's running from is the life he's forced into by the people who should be helping him to have a better future. This made me reflect on the reality that being family or close friends is never a promise of good intentions. I cursed Uncle Joe and Bradford so many times throughout this book, I had to remind myself they were fictional characters. What's remarkable about these characters though, is the stark similarity to much of life as we know it. Unfortunately, politics breeds violence and corruption and innocent voters are still caught in the midst of this. The criminal justice system is corrupt and children continue to slip through the cracks of the education system daily. As an immigrant and a school social worker, I see the injustice. I enjoyed the cultural aspects introduced in the scenes; playing dominoes, eating bully beef sandwich under a tree, carrying water in a bucket, an adult who is always trying to give you cerasee tea, going to Hellshire Beach are all things that are embedded in Jamaican childhood experiences. I loved that Frankie embraced these as a part of who he is even while striving for better. Frankie is a fighter. Well, he's more than a fighter but I won't give too many spoilers. He's an inherently good young man who is punished for putting the needs of others before himself. For me, the pacing was a bit slow and I would've liked more of my raw, uninhibited patois but overall strong character development and there were some surprising twists that I didn't see coming. I'd be excited to have more of Leah and Frankie in the future.