Publishers Weekly
Printz-winner Myers (Monster) expertly turns a series of Socratic dialogues on the nature of the social contract into an engrossing and fast-paced novel that never feels preachy. Shortly after his father is killed by a stray bullet, Harlem teenager Paul DuPree takes a summer job in a soup kitchen. His elderly supervisor, Elijah, engages Paul in discussions about the social contract, introducing him to the basic concepts, as well as to the teachings of Locke, Hobbes, Hume, and Rousseau. Paul also hears from neighborhood gangster Sly, whose college studies have persuaded him that the social contract is just a tool to keep the poor in check. As Paul weighs the opposing viewpoints, he applies what he learns to his late father’s life, as well as the lives lived by the senior citizens Elijah helps, Paul’s other family members, and Keisha, a basketball player he’s mentoring by helping her with her outside game. Myers fits a large cast and many motivations into a relatively small work, and they in turn transform this extended examination of political philosophy into a must-read novel. Ages 14–up. (May)
From the Publisher
“Myers has cooked up a provocative novel that simmers long after its last pages.” — Chicago Sun-Times
“[E]ngrossing and fast-paced… a must-read novel.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[R]ewarding. A good fit for school libraries in which the social contract is taught or emphasized.” — School Library Journal
“[B]egins with a bang.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
Chicago Sun-Times
Myers has cooked up a provocative novel that simmers long after its last pages.
Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
[B]egins with a bang.
Chicago Sun-Times
Myers has cooked up a provocative novel that simmers long after its last pages.
JUNE 2012 - AudioFile
Myers portrays the street life of Harlem through the voices of a trio of disparate characters. Narrator Brandon Gill transitions deftly from the troubled voice of high school senior Paul Dupree to those of Elijah, his summer employer, and the smooth-talking Sly, a neighborhood gang leader. Elijah’s cajoling, amusing instructions in the soup kitchen run the gamut from how to dice carrots to life lessons on social contracts. Paul thoughtfully digests the lessons and tries to convey them to an unwed mother he is coaching in basketball. Myers adds drama to this morality tale through the characters of Sly and the young basketball star. Gill decisively portrays them all, along with a host of minor characters—from soup-kitchen seniors to thugs and visiting relations. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
Until he met Elijah, 16-year-old Paul never considered how one person's decisions and actions might affect the entire community. Paul DuPree has taken on two jobs: work in a soup kitchen and the required mentoring of a young basketball player. At the soup kitchen, he meets Elijah Jones, the project's driving force and resident philosopher. Elijah sees himself as doing more than filling bellies. He believes he is fulfilling the "social contract." As Elijah trains Paul, he urges him to consider his ideas. Paul is skeptical but tries to apply the concepts to questions about his recently deceased father and the teen mom he is mentoring. Paul never had much of a relationship with his father, described as "forty-two-year-old Richard DuPree, underemployed ex-felon, ex-drug addict, father of one." Keisha, high-school dropout and mother of a little girl, needs Paul's help to fulfill her dream of professional basketball. She resists Elijah's ideas. "Because the rules don't work for everybody, and so they don't go for everybody." Myers, the recently named National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, has crafted a provocative exploration of social philosophy and shows how it can resonate in the lives of the young and the disadvantaged. Paul's quest for understanding seems heartfelt and real, though there are times when the story slows down as characters discuss their views. A novel that will provide teachers and others a relevant tool for introducing and discussing a complex subject. (Fiction. 14 & up)
