Dark Sons

By Nikki Grimes

Book Overview

A guy whose father ripped his heart out too.

You and me, Ishmael, we're brothers, two dark sons.

Destroyed, lost, and isolated, the perspectives of two teenage boys--modern-day Sam, and biblical Ishmael--unite over millennia to illustrate the power of forgiveness.

"Grimes's commanding metaphors ("Look at you, mother, / trembling, / a bowshot away, / your tears/ the only water/ for miles," says the exiled Ishmael), authoritative style, and complex characterizations are uniquely compelling." --Publisher's Weekly starred review

"The simple words eloquently reveal what it's like to miss someone ... but even more moving is the struggle to forgive and the affection each boy feels for the baby that displaces him. The elemental connections and the hope ... will speak to a wide audience." --Booklist starred review

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310761506
• ISBN13: 9780310761501
• Release Date: January 2017
• Publisher: Blink
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 15 years and up

Customer Reviews

Touching and beautiful

What a great book! I'd read it about four years ago and picked it up again. Now that my own son is a teenager, it seems even more powerful and real. A wonderful story of two boys trying to make peace with their god and with the challenging circumstances they've been given. As another reviewer said, the language has a enjoyable poetic flow to it, but at the same time it is easy to read. A little background knowledge of the biblical story is helpful, but it would still be a good read without it.

Beautiful free verse

The stories of Ishmael from the Bible and modern day Sam are told in beautiful free verse. Both Ishmael and Sam learn to cope with their absent fathers through faith, but only after struggling with their feelings of anger, loneliness, and jealousy. The alternating stories are realistic and captivating. The language is poetic, yet easy to understand.

Excellent Condition

I was pleased with the condition and timeliness of the delivery of this book. I was hesitate about purchasing a used book.