Upstate

Reason Book Chosen

I chose this book because it had many positive reviews, including one from Booklist, and because the structure of this book is interesting- back and forth letters between two teens. Dare I say that I also liked the cover a lot?

Bibliographic Information

Author: Kalisha Buckhanon

Publisher: St. Martin;s Press

ISBN: 0312332688

Copyright Date: 2005

Genre

Urban Fiction, Romance

About the Author

Upstate is Kalisha Buckhanon’s first novel. It won the Alex Award.  Kalisha Buckhanon also writes novels, plays and short stories.

Reader’s Annotation

What happened to all the butterflies in the city? What happens when you put love behind bars?

Plot Summary

Antonio, a seventeen-year-old, African American teen, and his sixteen-year-old girlfriend Natasha write letters to one another while Antonio is behind bars for the death of his father. Does Natasha believe he is innocent? Will she stay with him forever? How many years will he have to serve? Will their love survive his time in there? The letters between them, reveal stories about their friends and families, their communities, and their past, while also telling the story of a gripping present, and how, with each letter they seem to grow apart, but also to grow closer, as time goes by.  Additionally, the truth about what really happened on the day Antonio’s father died, is eventually revealed, as is a new side of Antonio’s character.

Critical Analysis

The letters are heartfelt, beautiful, sad, real. The story is heartbreaking yet also uplifting, with time showing how two people can change, yet remain true to themselves. Buckhanon captures the spirit of the times, the spirit of young love – the idealism, and the pain. While set in prison, prison life, freedom, and regret are not central themes (although there are elements of all) and this is refreshing. The language flows, as does the passing of time, and the letters these two write one another act as a magical setting of their own, a vacuum of emotion.

Themes/Issues/Tags

Prison, First Love, Loyalty, Family Ties, New York, Harlem, Growing Older and Growing Apart

Controversial Subject Matters

Serving time for a crime not committed (in order to protect someone else)

Booktalking Ideas

Format hook-. A love affair told in letters when most people use email these days (read from an actual letter).

What can a boy in prison and a butterfly have in common?

Topic-

Growing apart from someone while growing closer at the same time

First love behind bars

Curriculum Ties

Judicial System

Prison

Reading Level

12+

Interest Level

14-17