Blood Relations (Blue Eyed Son) [Paperback]

Chris Lynch (Author)

Book Description

Series: Blue Eyed Son | Publication Date: March 1996

Finding acceptance within a circle of white friends, Mick, an African-American street teen, is violently ostracized by his bigoted older brother, Terry, who prefers to ""wipe out"" everything he does not like.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Not the standard feel-good paperback series, the Blue-Eyed Son trilogy takes a harrowing tour of Irish Boston's mean streets, with 15-year-old Mick as guide. Here is a world inhabited by beings one step down on the evolutionary and social scale from the bullies in Slot Machine: ignorant thugs like Mick's older brother Terry (a terrifying villain if ever there was one), whose idea of fun is to get wildly drunk and beat up non-whites; or get wildly drunk and bet on dog fights; or just get wildly drunk. In this tightly paced examination of inner-city life and race relations, Lynch treads very close to the same ground as Chris Crutcher. However, there are no hip adult role models to smooth the way for the young folks, and forget about the protagonist winding up with the girl of his dreams (although he does bed a friend's mother between titles 2 and 3). After enduring beatings, alcoholic excess and humiliations too numerous to catalogue, Mick is ultimately able to rise above his milieu, but the pervasive violence and morally ambiguous resolution make this series even more disquieting than Gypsy Davey. A powerful, thought-provoking and disturbing trilogy?for those who have the stomach for it. (Mick and Blood, Mar.; Dog, June)
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10?Fifteen-year-old Mick, disenchanted with his dysfunctional Irish-American family, leaves home and moves in with his friend Sully's family. Mick feels trapped by his abusive, obnoxious father; ineffectual mother; and Terry, his sadistic older brother. Terry's latest idea of dogfighting inspires Mick to compete with him. Finding the right dog to beat Terry's fierce canine becomes Mick's obsession, and a means of dealing with his brother's brutality. The final dogfight with Terry provides an abrupt ending to a story that has much potential but is lacking in impact due to the one-dimensional characters. While these personalities may have been better established in the first two entries in the series, YAs unfamiliar with those books will have trouble identifying with any of the characters here, including Mick, whose true nature is not revealed until the final chapter. The crisp, raw language forces readers to concentrate on the dialogue in order to comprehend the plot and the characters' motives. Lynch has proven himself to be a quality writer in Iceman and Gypsy Davey (both HarperCollins, 1994). This book is obviously a departure from that norm.?Judy R. Johnston, Auburn High School, WA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Trophy Pr (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064471225
• ISBN-13: 978-0064471220
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,669,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book is great because it keeps you wondering!, May 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Blood Relations (Blue Eyed Son) (Paperback)

In Chris Lynch's novel, Blood Relations, fifteen year old MIke, is having sibling problems while his parents are away for the weekend. The main character, Mike, is left alone with his older brother while his parents are away visiting some friends. Mike's brother throws a party for his friends every year but this year's is worse than ever! Mike wants nothing to do with it. Mike's brother goes as far as sacrificing a goat's life, and that's where Mike draws the line and leaves town before they all sober up. Mike and a couple of friends stay over night at a motel about 50 miles away. When Mike goes back, he decides to go to his best friend's house to stay until his parents get back. When his parents do come back, Mike gets a job at their bar, but he refuses to go home. Mike gets kicked out of his best friend's parent's house for starting a fire while trying to cook supper. Where can he turn now? You'll never know unless you read this book... I enjoyed this book very much! It keeps you trying to guess where he's going to go next.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tough And Amazing Book, March 26, 1998

By 

"tarot1234" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mick (Blue Eyed Son) (Paperback)

This is an amazing book. It writes with shocking reality and naked insight into the mind of a teenager. Like a tough, non-poetic Francesca Lia Block or Rob Thomas.

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a GREAT GREAT book!, May 12, 2000

By 

"poc1128" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mick (Library Binding)

This book is about the main character, Mick, who gose to his friend's house to stay over because his brother is having a party at home and his parents are away for the weekend. When his parents get back, he gets a job at their bar, and he still dosen't want to come back home. But he gets kick out from his friend's house because he makes the house on fire when he cooks supper. Want to know where he gose? READ THE BOOK...