Dark Sons [Paperback]

Nikki Grimes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2007

 

Sam can't believe it when his father leaves the family to marry another woman--and a white woman, at that. The betrayal cuts deep--Sam had been so close to his dad, he idolized him. Now who can he turn to, who can he trust? Even God seems to have ditched him.

Ishmael is his father's first son, the heir, his favorite. But when his father is visited by mysterious strangers who claim that Abraham's wife, Sarah, will finally give birth to a legitimate son, Ishmael is worried. And when baby Isaac arrives, Ishmael becomes more isolated from his father. Could Abraham's God, who had spoken to Ishmael's mother, to whom he has made countless sacrifices, now betray him in favor of this new son?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up–In free-verse narratives, one biblical and one modern, teenagers Ishmael and Sam introduce themselves and relate their parallel problems with their fathers. Abraham is exiling Ishmael, son of his Second Wife, now that elderly Sarah has finally had a son. Sam's dad has left Sam's mother for a younger white woman. In Book One, Ishmael's poems express his pain, confusion, and love: Half Chaldean./Half Egyptian./Half slave./Half free./Half loved./Half hated./Half blessed./All me. His story is set against the background of nomadic desert life, always in the context of God's relations with, and plans for, him. Book Two gives present-day Brooklynite Sam his say: black man breaks/black woman's heart/to marry white witch. He's angry at his father, baffled by his mother, and resistant to his stepmother's friendly overtures. Luckily he has friends and faith; prayer and a kiss from a potential girlfriend provide some peace. The biggest obstacle turns out to be the biggest help: his dad's new son worms his way into his half-brother's heart. Books Three and Four continue the first-person accounts: Abraham's second son is clearly his favorite, and Sarah (a witch here) withdraws her love from Ishmael. Anger and jealousy threaten Ishmael's relations with his father and with God. Sam's father leaves him disillusioned and betrayed. The cross-play is effective, though Sam's story is more vivid and engaging. References to God (not Jesus) layer another father into the mix. Religion is a key part of the healing, but even faith-challenged readers can admire and learn from these stories of struggle in vernacular verse.–Patricia D. Lothrop, St. George's School, Newport, RI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 5-8. "Why does he have to run off? / To start some new family? / With her?" Teen-age Sam can barely contain his fury and hurt when his father gets married again, this time to a young white woman, who gives Sam a new baby brother. In a parallel, first-person narrative that draws on Genesis, young Ishmael and his mother, Hagar, rejected by Abraham, wander in the desert, after Sarah bears Abraham's child. Grimes' clear, free verse speaks with immediacy and lyricism about both boys' feelings of betrayal and loss. The real focus, though, is on Sam, who complains to his high-school friends ("It's my stepmom, man. / My dad wants me / to give her a chance / But I can't") and talks to and screams at God--until he's able to ask God to help him let his anger go. The simple words eloquently reveal what it's like to miss someone ("I've stopped expecting / his shadow in the hallway / his frame in the doorway"), but even more moving is the struggle to forgive and the affection each boy feels for the baby that displaces him. The elemental connections and the hope ("You made it / in the end / and so will I") will speak to a wide audience. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Jump At The Sun (April 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423102517
• ISBN-13: 978-1423102519
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,194,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Nikki Grimes conveyed the fire-in-the-belly fervor of a Harlem girl who knows she was born to write in Jazmin's Notebook, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book. In My Man Blue, a Booklist Editor's Choice and Newsweek Children's Books of the Year selection, her artful words expressed a boy's journey from skepticism to trust. And now with Bronx Masquerade she presents a rich chorus of eighteen voices, singing openly about ideas, feelings, and questions--things that open minds, invite debate, provide release. A recent Booklist review proclaims: "As always, Grimes gives young people exactly what they're looking for--real characters who show them they are not alone."An accomplished poet, novelist, journalist, and educator, Ms. Grimes was born and raised in New York City and now lives in the Los Angeles area.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching and beautiful, April 28, 2009

By 

Last Mango (UT United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dark Sons (Paperback)

What a great book! I'd read it about four years ago and picked it up again. Now that my own son is a teenager, it seems even more powerful and real. A wonderful story of two boys trying to make peace with their god and with the challenging circumstances they've been given. As another reviewer said, the language has a enjoyable poetic flow to it, but at the same time it is easy to read. A little background knowledge of the biblical story is helpful, but it would still be a good read without it.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful free verse, July 28, 2008

By 

gaylelbf (Montgomery, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Sons (Paperback)

The stories of Ishmael from the Bible and modern day Sam are told in beautiful free verse. Both Ishmael and Sam learn to cope with their absent fathers through faith, but only after struggling with their feelings of anger, loneliness, and jealousy. The alternating stories are realistic and captivating. The language is poetic, yet easy to understand.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Condition, January 24, 2007

By 

Mrs Magnolia - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Sons (Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books) (Hardcover)

I was pleased with the condition and timeliness of the delivery of this book. I was hesitate about purchasing a used book.