Customer Reviews

Being with Henry

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Laker lives with his mother, who had him when she was a teenager. In fact,he was named for the basketball team. She does her best to raise him, although he is at times the grown up in the relationship and she the child. She goes through an assortment of boyfriends and finally marries one she says will be good to them. As part of the marriage Laker must move with them and give up his job babysitting for a family he has become a part of. His new step father hassles him about getting work and their clashes soon lead to violence. With that Laker leaves home. Eventually he is taken in by 83 year old Henry, against the better judgement of his daughter who wants to institutionalize her father. Henry gives Laker shelter in exchange for doing yard work. The two develop a bond and serve each other with strength and support when necessary. Only at the end of the book does the reader get lost. All of a sudden, like magic, Henry is able to help Laker gain information about his real father and fill in the missing parts of his past. The characters are believable and likeable but the fanciful ending is hard to swallow. Books with real male bonding are hard to come by and this one does it well, if only it can find the right readers.

Laker always managed to take care of his mother, whether it was fixing her favorite foods or calling her in sick to work. He's been around when the men in her life have left her, and they've spent stretches of time alone. But then his mother started dating Rick. They ended up getting married, although Laker didn't like him at all and couldn't see why his mother stayed with him, especially when Rick started to lose his temper with her.

One day, shortly after finding out his mother was pregnant, Laker had enough of his stepfather's bullying and attacked him. He expected his mother would be on his side, but he was wrong. Instead of standing up for him, his mother and Rick threw him out of the house. Laker took the first bus he could and ended up in another town where, after his money ran out, he was reduced to begging on the streets.

While he is begging for money one day, an old man named Henry, driving with his unpleasant daughter, offers him some yard work for money. Henry's daughter thinks it is the worst idea she's ever heard, and grows to hate the idea even more as Laker stays longer and longer with him. Eventually Laker gets a job and starts paying Henry money to live with him. But there is tension in Henry's family and Laker's presence just seems to be making it worse.

I liked seeing the complexities of Henry's family, especially the way he and his daughter related to each other. I also liked the trust that built up between Laker and Henry. I didn't like Laker's relationship with Sarah and the way he treated her.

Martha Brooks has done it again. She writes real books about characters who are real, substantial and who have hearts that cry and sometimes laugh. Authors who give us life as it is, messy, but don't wallow in bitterness, despair or the shock value of absent values, these are the authors who give us books that are worthwhile.
This is a stunning story about loss and love, about a lost and lonely teenager, and about a lonely, but not so lost, old man who find one another. The twist at the end is sweet, and yet keeps from being sappy.
Highly recommended for teen readers and their parents. Like all great books this is a grand book for any age.

Raised by a single mother, Laker has to be the man of the house. When Rick comes on the scene, everything changes. Rick cusses and abuses Laker and his mom. When Laker fights with Rick, his mom kicks him out of the house. Laker, penniless, cold and sleeping on the street, meets Henry, 83, widower. Henry takes Laker in which brings its own challenges and surprises. They care for each other and find out how small the world really is.
For mature readers because of offensive language...and there is quite a bit.