I Never Knew Your Name [Hardcover]

Sherry Garland (Author), Sheldon Greenberg (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 1994 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

A small boy is saddened and confused by the suicide of a teenage neighbor he has admired.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

First-time children's illustrator Greenberg's soft-edged pastels are as redolent of the lethal power of loneliness as is Garland's ( The Lotus Seed ; Song of the Buffalo Boy ) spare, dramatic text. A nameless narrator, new to the neighborhood, is first shown alone in his room, spinning a basketball. "The first time I saw you," he says, addressing the teenager from across the street, "you were shooting hoops in the moonlight"--the illustration demonstrates that the teen was also alone. Via a disturbing series of vignettes, the younger boy then embarks on a retrospective of the teen's life, which has ended in suicide. The narrator recalls "the other guys from the corner," seen playing basketball in sunshine, who never included the teen; the stray dog the teen fed before it was hauled off to the pound; the teen's crush on the narrator's big sister, who had callowly spurned him; and so on. The narrator's own lost opportunities to reach out provide a regretful counterpoint, echoed in others' shocked reactions to the death. Subdued light in the final spread supports the beautifully tuned, restrained encomium. Although this volume may be unsettling as an introduction to the topic of teen suicide, it will be of great value to those marked by a like tragedy. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4 Up-In a bleak, first-person narration, a young boy tells about a friendless teenager whom he has watched from a distance. He admires the young man for his skill at basketball and his kindness to animals. The boy sees him as an outsider, ostracized by his peers. He comes close to reaching out to speak to him, but never does. One night, he is wakened by the sound of an ambulance and the sight of neighbors, "looking at you, lying there on the ground, so still," and shaking their heads in sorrow and disbelief. Greenberg's oil paintings are purposely somber in tone, moving from dark to light as the narrator gains insight and, in the only note of hope in a relentlessly heavy book, is finally pictured as part of a group playing basketball. Many of the illustrations have an unfinished look, as devoid of detail as is the narrator's knowledge of the boy he watches. It is never clearly stated, except in the CIP data, that the death is a suicide, but it is likely that young people will infer that he jumped from the roof of his city apartment building. The narrator himself lives in a sad world of resignation to his father's neglect, of loneliness as an outsider in a new neighborhood, and of regret over the lost opportunity to befriend the young man who so clearly mirrors his own isolation. Indeed, readers never know his name. This important book, which properly raises more questions than it answers, will be best used by adults with young people to evoke discussion and hopefully bring an awareness and understanding of those who are excluded by their peers.
Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; First Edition edition (August 22, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395696860
• ISBN-13: 978-0395696866
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #479,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Deeply Moving, Important Piece of Work, July 2, 2002

By 

"sten24" (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Never Knew Your Name (Hardcover)

I saw this book in a used bookstore and picked it up because I was struck by the title and the image of the boy on the cover. I quickly read through it and then put it down, continuing my search for books for my seven-year-old son. But I kept thinking about the story, the characters and the illustrations. I knew that ten years from now, I would still remember how touched I was by the simple story of "I Never Knew Your Name", and I knew that if I didn't purchase the book I would always regret it. Although the central message of the story is the isolation of the boy who eventually commits suicide, and the failure of the narrator to reach out to him, I think I was more effected by the character of the narrator himself. A younger boy, also nameless, he observes the loner at night because he himself is staying up, waiting for his father to come and visit. A promise that his father didn't keep. Later in the book, the narrator is let down by his father again when he fails to take him on a promised fishing trip and the boy falls asleep clutching his fishing rod in his hand. The boy considers reaching out to the lone, older boy, but again, something holds him back.
As a teacher and a parent, this image haunted me. It made me think about how important it is to keep your promises to your children...not just promises to 'buy them something'...but promises to be there for them and spend time with them. Since reading the book, I find myself hugging my son more and telling him that I love him and smiling when I see him. It made me realize that an action, or promise which might seem very trivial and unimportant in your own very busy adult life, may be of monumental importance to your child. Likewise, it made me think about the hundreds of children I have taught history over the last ten years...the quiet ones, who sit at the back of the class and don't cause any trouble...the ones that you are least likely to notice but who might be the most in need of your attention.
I would like to thank the author and illustrator of this beautiful book for making me think about these things. I can't remember the last time I read something that moved me so deeply.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book to support suicide prevention for all readers, July 29, 1999

By 

Sarah Lamanna - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Never Knew Your Name (Hardcover)

As a survivor of suicide, support group leader, crisis intervention specialist and teacher, I strongly recommend this book. It is suitable for any age group when properly supported by adults comfortable with this topic. Since 1980, the suicide rate has doubled for 10-14 year olds. Dialog must begin early and Garland offers us a wonderful opportunity to do just that without promoting her personal point of view. By reaching out to her readers to discuss this sensitive subject, she models the behavior that they may choose emulate - reaching out to others. Well done!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good story...sad, but good., July 13, 2001

By 

R. Chen - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Never Knew Your Name (Hardcover)

Admitted it took me a couple read throughs to fully grasp every aspect of the story. I had not expected this kind of subject matter to be addressed in what looked like just another kid's book. The pictures work well here, I think the semi-defined art matches up with the limited knowledge of the child narrator. It serves to remind me much of the youth lifestyle I've lived through and seen much myself...one of popularity contests, in-crowds, loners, depression, and such. I think kids will learn a good lesson, and everyone else will stop and think after reading through it.