Babylon Boyz

Reason Book Chosen

I chose this book because School Library Journal and Publisher’s Weekly both gave it positive reviews.  School Library Journal said it had “realistic, gritty dialogue”, that it was for “mature teens”, and that “readers will find authentic, realistic characters and descriptions that make the boys and their community come alive.”  I also chose this book because it has a queer youth of color as one of its main characters, and this is a rarity (especially in this genre and for this publishing date).

Bibliographic Information

Author: Jess Mowry

Publisher: Aladdin

ISBN-10: 0689825927

Copyright Date: 1999

Genre

Urban Fiction

 

About the Author

Jess Mowry is a black writer whom has written fourteen young adult and children’s novels and short stories, for and about black youth. Mowry has been publishing since the 1990s. His stories are set in a variety of settings, including inner city and nature, domestic and international locals, such as Africa. Mowry has a low profile in the writing community because he doesn’t write the kind of glossy urban fiction that a lot of publishers want. He is committed to exploring and creating awareness for and about social issues.

Reader’s Annotation

Three boys. A gun. A case full of drugs. An open can of worms.

Plot Summary

Three unlikely African American boys are best buds, having grown up in the same neighborhood of Oakland -that they call Babylon - since they were young. Pook is 14 and openly gay, Dante is 13 and has a frail heart condition, and Wyatt is14 and obese.

At the wrong place and time, Pook and Dante discover a gun a case of drugs, when a dealer they know and dislike is forced to throw them from his car during a police chase. After cluing Wyatt in, the three boys have to decide what to do with the drugs. Sell them to get money for Dante's heart surgery? Flush them down the toilet so to not perpetuate the drug culture and defeat of their own neighborhood? Not everyone sees eye to eye on what to do. On top of trying to figure this all out, the gang of three make two new interesting and complicated friends, whom are thrown into the mix. Suddenly the what to do with the drugs and the gun are not their only issues.

Critical Analysis

I appreciated the freshness of having a gay character of color, whom did not fit the traditional stereotype of gay characters. I was surprised to see this was written when it was. It seemed much more recent. Also, while homosexuality was an underlying theme, it was not at all the main story, but nicely woven in as a backdrop. Also, the story takes quite a few twists and turns that are unexpected, but not cliché. In general, Mowry presents ideas that have been written about a million times, but puts a fresh spin on them. It could easily be a coming of age story but doesn't feel like one. The dynamic friendships between the boys are very nicely crafted, developing slowly, as is their relationship to the dangerous world they live in. Setting, character development and story are well done. The actual writing still could have been improved. The characters, are all young, but would be easy for any teen to relate to.

Themes/Issues/Tags

Drugs, Homosexuality, Gangs, Friendship, Survival, Oakland, Ghetto, Oppression

Controversial Subject Matters

Getting ahead via also bringing down/contributing to the demise or oppression of one’s own community.

Pook’s homosexuality

Defense: The book is not about Pook’s homosexuality. Pook just happens to be a homosexual character. The book embraces tolerance.

Booktalking Ideas

Prop- Bring in a suitcase (“the suitcase the boys discover) but don’t tell what is inside the case

Character hook- Bring in a picture of the three boys (all look very different in terms of ethnicity, build, physical looks), perhaps read passages that describe each boy. Ask what readers they think these boys might have in common. Maybe also read description of drug dealer whom these boys are avoiding. 

Setting hook- show a picture of what religious people consider to be “Babylon” and a picture of Oakland, CA. Ask what these might have in common.