Miracle’s
Boys follows
the experiences of three brothers with the first-person narration of the
youngest, twelve-year-old brother, Lafayette. Lafayette describes what life is
like for himself and his two older brothers, Charlie and Ty’ree, as they try to
move on after their father and—most recently—their mother have passed away.
Lafayette, whose nickname is Laf, gets along really well with his oldest
brother, Ty’ree, who is a smart guy but who had to change his plans from going
to college so he could stay at home and work to take care of his younger
brothers. But Laf does not get along with Charlie, at least not ever since he
returned from Rahway Correctional facility, acting like a completely different
person. For this reason, Laf now calls him “Newcharlie.”
All of the boys are shown to struggle in
their own ways with the pain of losing first their father and then their
mother. It is difficult to see their mother’s room changed now that she is
gone. And they all deal with guilt surrounding the deaths. Ty’ree feels responsible
for their father’s death because he told his father to save the dog and the
woman who were drowning in the ice-covered lake. Charlie feels guilty that the
last time he saw his mother he was in hand cuffs, and he was away at the
correctional facility when she died. And Lafayette feels guilty that he was the
one who found their mother dead in the morning and wasn’t able to save her.
Lafayette saw a psychologist some afternoons after his mother passed away since
he was so torn up, but it was eventually the reconciliation amongst the
brothers that gives them strength in the end. Charlie gets arrested again, and
Ty’ree and Laf have to go to the police station to pick him up. Although Laf
expresses a lot of hate and anger towards the new Charlie in most of the book,
he sees Charlie in cuffs and feels defensive and protective of his brother—he
feels sorry for him and silently encourages Charlie to get through this in his
head. Ultimately, at the end of the book, it is a flashback to his mother that
encourages Laf to reach out to Charlie, which starts the reconstruction of
their relationship.
APA Reference of Book
Woodson, J. (2000). Miracle’s boys. New York, NY: G. P. Putnam’s Sons.
Impressions
I liked this
book, and I think many young adults would like it too. Miracle’s Boys deals with some pretty heavy themes, like death,
crime, and gang violence, but it views these difficult things through the
accessible and authentic point of view of a twelve year old, making it so that
young readers can relate to this book. Plus, these characters deal with
everyday issues that many youth understand, like peer pressure, sibling
conflicts, and poverty, which allows readers to enter the story and empathize
with what the characters are going through.
In addition, the
main characters (Lafayette, Charlie, and Ty’ree) are all complex and
multidimensional characters that are realistic and interesting. It may seem at
first that Charlie is all bad and Ty’ree is all good, and Lafayette is stuck in
between them (Dunham, 2012). But as the story progesses, Lafayette admits they
all have strengths, and they all have flaws—even the incredible Ty’ree who one
neighbor calls St. Ty’ree (Woodson, 2000, p. 26). In addition, the story comes
to life with the inclusion of details and descriptions of both characters and
the urban setting of New York. The description of people develops them as
characters, and the description of the setting reinforces the sad and dreary
tone.
One complaint
that I have about this book, though, is that Milagro (the boys’ mother), is
described as a somewhat flat character—a seemingly perfect and beautiful
mother. At the same time, this description may ring true with the voice of the
narrator, the one who feels guilty for Milagro’s death. Laf may be focusing on all
of his mother’s positive traits since he is still mourning her death, which
could be why he continues to remember her as all wonderful and perfect (Dunham,
2012).
Overall,
I really like this book, and I think it can provide a lot of “food for thought”
for both young and old readers; it does, though, have particular potential to
reach out to teens and young adults, teaching them about struggles in life but
also giving them hope that there are ways to get through them.
Professional Review
According to a
review on the website for Publishers
Weekly (2000):
Once again, Woodson (If You Come Softly; From the
Notebooks of Melanin Sun) reveals a keen understanding of the adolescent psyche
via the narration of a winning seventh-grader. Lafayette, whose mother has recently
died, is worried that some day he will be separated from his two older
brothers: high-school-graduate Ty'ree, who gave up a scholarship to MIT to take
care of his younger siblings; and Charlie, the rebellious middle boy, who,
after spending more than two years in a correctional facility, has returned
home cold and tough. (Lafayette calls him "Newcharlie," because his
brother, with whom he was once so close, now seems unrecognizable to him.)
Viewing household tensions and hardships through Lafayette's eyes, readers will
come to realize each character's internal conflicts and recognize their
desperate need to cling together as a family. The boys' loyalties to one
another are tested during a cathartic climax, though it is resolved a bit too
easily, and Lafayette's visions of his mother aren't fully developed or
integrated into the plot. Gang violence and urban poverty play an integral part
in this novel, but what readers will remember most is the brothers' deep-rooted
affection for one another. An intelligently wrought, thought-provoking story. (para. 1)
Library
Uses
I think this book could be read by a Teen Advisory
Board—it has a lot of things the teens could discuss, like death, conflicts
amongst siblings, and poverty. The teens could read it individually, and then
come together to talk about some of the themes found in the book and things
they may have liked or disliked about it. A librarian could introduce this
discussion with some information about realistic fiction books or the Coretta
Scott King Award, which this book has won.
This book could also be utilized in a classroom
setting, most likely middle school. The short length of the book lends itself
to being read aloud by the teacher during class—maybe a little bit every day. The
students could take turns reading aloud as well to practice their reading skills.
References
Dunham, K. (2012). Realistic
fiction evaluation. Unpublished assignment for SLIS 5420,
University of
North Texas, Denton, TX.
[Review of the book Miracle’s
boys, by J. Woodson]. (2000, April 24). Publishers
Weekly.
Retrieved from www.publishersweekly.com
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