Polo Cowboy

by G. Neri Narrated by James Shippy

Overview

How does a Black kid from North Philly wind up playing polo? The much-anticipated sequel to Ghetto Cowboy, now a major motion picture starring Idris Elba and Stranger Things's Caleb McLaughlin.

When Cole moves in with his dad, Harp, he thinks life will be sweet-just him and his horse, Boo, hanging out with Philadelphia's urban cowboys. But when Harp says he has to get a job, Cole winds up as a stable hand for the polo team at George Washington Military Academy, where the players are rich, white, and stuck-up-all except Ruthie, the team's first and only girl, who's determined to show the others she can beat them at their own game. As Cole and Ruthie become friends-and maybe more-he starts imagining his future, maybe even at the academy. But between long workdays, arrogant polo players, and a cousin trying to pull Cole into his dangerous business, that future seems remote. Will Cole find the courage to stand and be seen in a world determined to keep him out? With striking illustrations by Jesse Joshua Watson, celebrated author G. Neri's novel weaves themes of tenacity and community into a rousing sports story inspired by Philadelphia's real-life urban cowboys and polo players.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Polo and cowboys come together, with a main character who will leap off the page and into readers’ hearts, in this moving story of growing up and grit.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Neri gives readers a look into another type of equestrian life while maintaining the tone and style readers appreciated in Cole’s cowboy journey. . . A skillful sequel that adds new layers to a coming-of-age story.
—Kirkus Reviews

With black-and-white sketches and plenty of polo play-by-play, this is both thoughtful and entertaining.
—Booklist

This sequel to Ghetto Cowboy (Candlewick 2011), itself the inspiration for Netflix’s Concrete Cowboy series, is sure to be a hit with middle school students and teachers, especially those looking for a heartwarming story about grit and staying true to yourself.
—School Library Connection

The novel is enhanced by vibrant black-and-white illustrations by Jesse Joshua Watson. Neri skillfully weaves together the evolution of Cole and Ruthie’s friendship into a tentative romance, Cole’s changing relationship with Harper and several exciting throwdowns on and off the polo field for a satisfying story for young readers. . . . seems ready-made for a movie sequel, too.
—The Miami Herald

School Library Journal

★ 11/01/2021

Gr 5 Up—When Cole, a young Black boy, chooses to keep living with his dad in Philadelphia, he thinks he has it made. He'll be an urban cowboy and spend all his time riding his beloved horse. But Cole's dad gets him a job at the nearby military academy, and Cole is suddenly working long hours for polo players there, who are rich, arrogant, and white. As his life becomes more tenuous and he notices the gaping differences between his community and the academy's, Cole wonders what his future holds and what power he could possibly have to change it. This is the much-anticipated sequel to 2013's Ghetto Cowboy, and while knowing Cole's backstory may enrich the experience, it isn't necessary to appreciate everything this book has to offer. Cole is at a turning point in his life, both old enough to make big decisions for himself and to learn that the consequences can alter his life. He struggles with a distant father, a cousin trying to pull him into a dangerous business, and racial disparity in his community. His voice shines through the entire time, allowing readers to empathize deeply with his journey. Polo may seem like a surprising choice, but the practices and matches are as nail-biting as any football game. VERDICT Polo and cowboys come together, with a main character who will leap off the page and into readers' hearts, in this moving story of growing up and grit.—Kristin Brynsvold, Tuckahoe Elem. Sch., Arlington, VA

NOVEMBER 2021 - AudioFile

James Shippy narrates this sequel to GHETTO COWBOY (2011), which is the basis for the new Netflix movie CONCRETE COWBOY. Now 14, Cole returns to his father's home in Philadelphia's Black cowboy community. To pay off a debt, Cole's father commits Cole to work the summer as a stable boy, caring for polo ponies at a military academy. Shippy strikes a realistic balance between a gritty teen in a tough neighborhood and a thoughtful kid trying to do the right thing. White polo players bully Cole and Ruthie, the academy's only Black cadet. Shippy portrays these players as snobbish but not so awful as to be irredeemable. Cole learns to like and play polo but struggles to bridge his two worlds. Other characters include a smooth-talking drug dealer and a host of elderly Black cowboys. L.T. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2021-08-16
In this follow-up to Ghetto Cowboy (2011), 14-year-old Cole convinces his mother to let him stay in Philadelphia with his father and beloved horse, Boo, instead of returning to Detroit.

Cole and his dad, Harper, are still learning to navigate their father-son relationship after years of being estranged. As they figure out their new arrangement, Harper says Cole has to get a job to help earn his keep as well as Boo’s. Working as a stable hand at a nearby military academy, Cole meets young cadets who are strikingly different from him in socio-economic class and attitudes—and who seem to have it out for him from the start. Fortunately, Cole also meets and befriends Ruthie, a Black girl on the polo team who shares his love for horses. She is in a minority at the school due to her race and sex; the friendship offers mutual support. While working there, Cole develops a growing attraction to Ruthie as well as an interest in possibly attending the academy someday. But is this world just too different from his own for him to even get a foot in the door? And is he ready to leave everything he’s known behind? In this entry, Neri gives readers a look into another type of equestrian life while maintaining the tone and style readers appreciated in Cole’s cowboy journey, including an evocative voice and situational code-switching. Final illustrations not seen.

A skillful sequel that adds new layers to a coming-of-age story. (Fiction. 10-14)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176924275
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	10/12/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

Read an Excerpt

Mama is fuming. “Say that again.”
   I swallow and take a deep breath. “I ain’t goin’ back to Detroit.”
   Five minutes ago, we was celebrating. I almost beat Harper in our first horse race—even though I’m pretty sure he let me get that close. Mama’s here visiting, and we was being all family-like again, laughing and telling jokes at the Speedway in the middle of the biggest nature park in Philadelphia.
   It was a great day. But then she asked me when I was gonna come back home again.
   Home.
   Ever since I came back to Philly to stay with my dad for the summer, I only felt one thing: This my home now. Where my horse, Boo, is. Where the fellas is. Where our stable, the Ritz-Carlton, is. The Ritz may have been just a run-down garage before, but to us, this barn is like the fanciest hotel in the neighborhood—the place to be and be seen—so that’s why we call it that. It’s my real home. Not Detroit, where Mama lives.
   I didn’t wanna say that out loud, but she kept asking. Now I swear her eyes is gonna drill a hole through my head.
   “You the one who brung me here in the first place,” I say to her stare.
   It was only a year or so ago, so I know she remembers. Who forgets ditching their boy on the doorstep of a daddy he’s never met?
   She sighs. “I thought we had a deal. Summers here, school year back in Detroit.”
 Deal, schmeal. “I wanna go to school with my friends here, in Philly.”
   That’s not exactly true. Most my friends is cowboys or small kids who come to the stables to learn. So I confess the real reason: “Besides, Boo needs me.”
   That don’t sit right with her. “Boo’s a horse,” she say. “I need you.”
   “Then move back to Philly,” I say. “You gettin’ along with Harp now. Why can’t we be a family again? In Philly.”
   I can tell that knocks her for a loop. “Life don’t work that way, Cole. I can’t just pick up and leave my life behind. I got a job, responsibilities. I can’t just go back to a relationship that’s been dead all these years. It’s not that easy.”
   I don’t wanna hurt her feelings. But truth is, I am happier here, and she knows it.
   We stand there for a long time, thinking what to say next. Boo is eating grass behind me. Harper, my dad (even though I don’t like to call him that), is on his horse, waiting for us to leave. I don’t want Mama to go, but standing here just makes it harder to say goodbye.
   “What about your future?” she asks.
   “What about it?”
   She sighs. “World’s a tough place, Cole. Ain’t got no room for young black men. You gonna end up like your cousin Smush or make something of yourself?”
   I look over at Smush, who’s rolling dice on the basketball court. He’s a dropout and sometimes corner boy who always finding trouble, even when he’s helping out.
   Then I look at Harp and the other horsemen getting ready to ride back to the neighborhood. “What’s wrong with bein’ a cowboy?”
   She almost laughs. “Being a cowboy isn’t a job. Plus, it’ll suck up any money you do manage to make. Just ask your dad. Your only hope is to find a way to college.”
 College? “Why I gotta be thinkin’ about college? I’m only fourteen. What’s that gotta do with stayin’ here?”
   She glances over at Harp. “I’m not so sure your dad is thinking about your future. He’s not even thinking about his own.”
   I stare at the ground for the longest time, trying to find the words. I wanna tell her I love her, that this ain’t got nothing to do with the past.
   Instead what comes out is “Maybe, but I still wanna stay in Philly.”
   She stares at me like she trying to read my mind, like she trying to see if I really feel that way or if I’m just being a teenager.
   Then she laughs, but not in a funny way. “You just like your daddy. Love that horse more than me.”
   She turns to leave, and it feels like she just put a knife in my back. “Wait,” I say.
   She stops, shakes her head. I grab her from behind. She sighs and pulls me into a bear hug till I can’t breathe. “I love you too,” she says.
   Then she walks away before we both lose it.
   I need to get my head together.
   Am I sure about this? Move to Philly for real? I ain’t even asked Harp about this yet. I just been playing it out in my head.
   “Looks like you two had words,” says Harp, like he’s had a word or two with her hisself.
   I nod, but I ain’t ready to get into it. “I’m sure you’ll hear all about it before she head back tonight.” I expect more grilling, but Harp don’t say nothing.
   “You mind if I take Boo out?” I ask.
   He sees I don’t wanna talk. “See ya back at the Ritz.”

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