Ballad of a Ghetto Poet

By A.J. White

Book Overview

What do you do when you are young and gifted and the world has turned its back at you? That is the wrenching question at the heart of this extraordinary novel about a seventeen-year-old street kid whose only escape is through crime -- and the redemptive power of his poetry. Ballad of a Ghetto Poet tells the savage and lyrical story of a teenager caught in the brutal cross-fire of poverty and violence that could send him on the collision course to the cellblock -- or the grave. Chicko Grayson is a teenager growing up on the tough streets of Richmond, Virginia, where powerty is a life sentence, and the only way out is behind the barrel of a gun. Raised on the harsh, brutal language of the streets, Chicko hears the music of God in the poetry he writes. But God is noticeably absent when he fals in with a sly and dangerous criminal who draws Chicko and his best friends Malcolm and Junnie into the city's violent underworld of crime. Filled with the rage and pathos of the streets, eloquent in its anquished portrait of life in the forgotten corners of the South, Ballad of a Ghetto Poet delivers a modern-day interpretation of West Side Story. This is a tragic and heroic tale of desperate hope and lost chances, and of what happens when redemption comes too late.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1593090099
• ISBN13: 9781593090098
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: Strebor Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

FABULOUS!!

A.J. White shows her talent not only as an Author, but as a Poet. In this story she vividly explores the lives of a group of teenagers chasing the American Dream. Along the way they get caught up in a serious game of fast money, deceit, lies and life and death situations. This noviel will have you holding your breath and sitting on the edge of your seat. It shows how one wrong decision can affect you and those around you for the rest of your life. I recommend this novel for all ages, but especially for teens. A.J. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!

A Ghetto Story of Hope

In this book AJ White introduces the world to 3 boys & their struggles to become men. I promise once you pick this book up you will not be able to put it down! I finished it in 2 days. This book will one day be a classic because of the way that it addresses the issues of todays youth with such an "in your face" manner. Once you read this book you will constantly be thinking about ways that you can contribute to the upliftment of young people eveywhere. AJ White is definitly on his way to great things.

Awesome Ballad

While reading this I could picture in my head all the Chico's, Malcolm's & Junnie's I grew up with in NY back in da day... When you come from nothing...that draw of fast money can sometimes pull you faster then promises of a brighter tomorrow The poetry that was used to tie the story together was so on point...some of them brought tears to my eyes (and when Kenny died...my heart just stopped...how powerful was that) I loved the way the author began this book (unique in itself) I also loved how it ended ...(usually I want more but felt that was right on point)I can't wait to read more of what this author has to share...

REAL!!!

BAllad is an excellent peice of work a sure fire page tuner!I loved it! I found it to be a good read that evoked lots of emotion. It's very real and all people can relate to these characters in some way or another

speechless.........

this book kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time i was reading it......jd made you feel just like you were in the scenes with the characters.....it was all just sooooo real.......there were alot of different turns to the story at times......like i expected a certain thing to happen...and something totally different happened....and i was just sitting there with my mouth open.....when i finished the book....i just sat there.....looking at it....i wanted to cry.....i was speechless........jdaniels is an EXCELLENT author.....and i can't wait for Shades of a Chameleon to come out.......i have read all of his books and i hope he keeps them coming and keeps up with the great writing that he is doing.....