Handbook for Boys

By Walter Dean Myers

Book Overview

In the groundbreaking tradition of his award-winning Monster and Bad Boy: A Memoir, Walter Dean Myers fashions a highly readable, powerful novel about the rules for success for young men, especially those navigating coming of age while Black.

Jimmy and Kevin could use a guide to life. When each of the boys gets in the kind of trouble that almost lands them in juvenile detention, their neighbor Duke steps in and offers them jobs in his Harlem barbershop.

The regulars at the barbershop seriously get on Jimmy's nerves. Duke, Cap, and Mister M all seem determined to give the two boys a hard time. Still, it seems like everyone who walks through the door and sits in Duke's chair has a story and a philosophy--whether they know it or not--and Jimmy is listening.

It drives Jimmy nuts when the adults in his life assume he doesn't know anything--and he's got a lot of anger to go around. But it might turn out that listening to the conversations in Duke's shop could be the education on living that Jimmy needs.

In his introduction to Handbook for Boys, Walter Dean Myers wrote: "I know as a troubled teenager I would have loved to have a neighborhood barbershop to sit in and a group of worldly and knowledgeable men to counsel me. Thinking about this was my motivation in writing this book, hoping it will be, in the least, a jumping-off point for many interesting conversations about success."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0064409309
• ISBN13: 9780064409308
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Amistad Books for Young Readers
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.4" x 6.8"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 and higher

Customer Reviews

Great book by James Dean Myers

Great book for teenagers. I was reading this book because for my class you have to read a novel by the end of the 1st quarter and each quarter on. I decided to choose this after the information on the back and the cover interested me. I sure didnt waste my money nor my time. It was a great book that deserves alot of credit. I think for Myers this book was alot better than Monster. Next I probably will be reading the classics; Elephant Man, Odyssey,Grapes of Wrath, and Huckleberry Finn. Read this book teens and even adults! I think its even funner than most video games! It teaches you lessons about what to do in certain situations!

Handbook for Boys

Review on Handbook for Boys By Walter Dean Myers "What is life about?" This handbook shows young readers what is right and what is wrong, and why it's right or wrong. For example, in the beginning of the book, sixteen year old Jimmy discovers to think carefully about what you're doing and when you're doing it, and to anticipate what's coming next. Another life lesson in this book that seems simple, but most people forget sometimes is that there are more people than yourself. If you decide to if you decide to read this book then look for these morals in each chapter. Even though it's called Handbook for Boys, I would recommend this book to both boys and girls. What I liked most about this book was it was written so that each individual character's quotes and the things that they said were very detailed. It made it seem like I could hear their voice and pick out whose it was. I also liked the story overall because each scene was very different, and I think that kept it alive. When I picked this book out from the shelf, I thought that it would just be about a boy giving tips on how to act in school or something like that, but Mr. Dean Myers proved me wrong.

Read this now

Has there ever been a time when you tried to help someone by doing something you know is wrong? Handbook For Boys is about a boy named Jimmy who sells drugs to help his mother get on her own two feet. Later Jimmy is cought and has to go to court. Jimmy's mother doesn't have the money to bail him oht of jail so Jimmy is out of luck when Duke, who is the owner of a barber shop, walks in and says, "I will keep him for his time in jail to help me fix and clean up my shop." Jimmy's mother is okay with the deal and so is Jimmy. If Jimmy doesn't cooperate he will be in jail for a long time. Will Jimmy cooperate or will he give up and go to jail? I would recommend this book to anyone who tries to to help out by doing the wrong things. I liked this book because my friend went to jail and had a chance to help a woman keep her house in shape. I recommend this book for those who try to do something for someone by doing something wrong. Tarrel Desplains IL

handbook for boys

I liked the book. The book was good cause it gave alot of information about people and what they should do to do better in thier life in the future.The best part of the book was when people got into trouble and then Duke would talk to the boys and ask them how they could have changed the sitution. There was lots of characters. There was Jimmy (he worked for Duke) Duke, Cap, Mister M., and Kevin. The resolution of the book is hard to understand. Kevin got in to trouble and had to go to jail. Duke hired a new boy to work for him. Jimmy told the boy to listen to them in there it could help it in your life.

A great book for kids and adults to read together

Sixteen-year-old Jimmy Lynch has a choice to make: go to jail for six months or join Duke Wilson's community mentoring program. Thinking he got off easy, Jimmy goes to Duke's barber shop every day after school, where life is anything but easy. A steady stream of various characters provide a colorful backdrop of lessons to be learned. Duke, Cap, and Mr. M provide a daily barage of advice and stories for both Jimmy and Kevin, another student in need of mentoring. Jimmy thinks the old men are anything but helpful, until he finally begins to understand the purpose of their comments and the depth of their wisdom. When Kevin falls back into trouble Jimmy has a choice to make, one that he knows can affect his life forever. Like Duke says, Jimmy knows what the right thing to do is. Doing it is different, though. Myers' book is a quick and lively read that helps young readers see the necessity of living life as a participant, not a spectator. The "mentors" encourage the teens to be in charge of their own destiny, and to not be a victim, like many of the people they see in their neighborhood. I highly recommend this book for both teens and adults, especially to be read together.