Customer Reviews

Little Boy Blue

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All I can say is that "Little Boy Blue" is a blueprint for how a troubled boy can be transformed into an adult sociopath. Ironically, the system that is supposed to reform him is the culprit in pushing him toward further hopelessness and delinquency. Alex Hammond is basically a good kid with good instincts who is battered by authority until he lashes out and becomes submerged in hatred. There are many instances when he can choose between obedience and rebellion, and even though he inevitably decides to rebel, he often seems to have little choice. Frustration with a dictatorship of adults who have little patience or tolerance for the special needs of this disturbed boy sends him hurtling on a collision course with tragedy. Especially troubling is the scene where Alex is placed with relatives who are inflexible in their method of discipline--he seems to be making slight progress when a fabricated lie shoves him back down the mudslide. Here Alex actually shows a hint of conscience--or has he simply gained dominance over the aggressor? The harrowing course of his life is told in uncompromising, brutally-honest terms. Every professional involved in rehabilitating children should own a copy of this book. It chronicles the downfall of innocence, introducing a doomed child whose life is always threatened by an undercurrent of depression.

Edward Bunker cuts through the fluff of American social pathology theory and the disingenuousness glorification of popular gangster culture to present this straightforward tale of how a bright, inquisitive boy becomes a juvenile delinquent and, eventually, a criminal. Bunker, while not ignoring the effect of the "system" of the 1940's and 50's on driving Alex Hammond down the wrong path, emphasizes his protagonist's temperament - specifically, his flaring hot temper - in his wayward development. "Little Boy Blue" poignantly captures the duality of Alex's desire to be normal and free with his interfering need to feel powerful and respected amidst the twisted mores of the juvenile criminal class. The reader can't help but cheer for Alex as he eludes the authorities, all the while knowing his "victories" are pushing him farther and farther away from the chance for a genuinely fulfilling life.

If you appreciate crime fiction that is firmly rooted in reality, the upbringing of Alex Hammond as told by Bunker is stark, sad and brilliantly told.

The product of a broken LA home in the forties, Hammond's world is one of petty crime, reform schools and not so petty crime; a sequential stream of vignettes that inevitably leads from 'gladiator school' to big-time crime and (of course) prison.

All of Bunker's books are outstanding... and I'm awaiting my Amazon shipment of 'Education of a Felon' with baited breath. It will be interesting to contrast 'Little Boy Blue' with the non-fictional account of his life.

Eddie Bunker paints a vivid piture of the justice system in and around the war, in Los Angeles. Bunker, in and out of prison since the age of 17, writes very much from personal experience and this comes across in the book. Ex-con, Bunker, places you in the head of Alex Hammond, who's desire for the better things in life are prevented by the justice system that seems such an INJUSTICE to the youngster. An unforgettable story, and a 'must buy' book.

A searing roman a clef from the author of Dog Eat Dog which also does a good job of showing LA, circa 1943-45. The book traces the path of an 11-year old boy, from social service homes, through the various levels of the juvenile criminal system until the inevitable tragic end. This depressing accelerated transition from childhood to teenager is convincingly presented. Bunker is clearly writing many of the episodes in the book from personal experience, and each of the shifting cast of supporting characters are well-drawn individuals. It's a gripping story and although much has changed in the social service system since this time, yet many of the problems and attitudes shown in the book remain.

I've recognized every character in this book. I recognized the father, a man who loves his son, but can't take care of him. I recognized the boy, not inherently evil, but who has so much anger in him that he can't function. I recognize the authority figures, some of whom are caring yet exhausted, and others who are uncaring, cruel, and sadistic.

Alex Hammond is just like the kids I taught, even though this story takes place in the 1940's. His abusive mother has run off, and his jobless alcoholic father can't provide a home. Alex's life was a cycle; he'd be twken to a foster home, get in fights, get in trouble, run away, get caught, be brought to another home by his father, and it would all happen again. Alex is angry; all he wants is to live with his father. Isn't that something all kids have a right to do? But Alex can't be given the home he's entitled to have. The social workers care, but they're......tired?

Teachers like myself see kids like Alex Hammond every day, and we get tired real fast! How do you teach a kid anything when he's disturbed by anger? How can this boy trust adults when his own parents betrayed him? And what about when the kid has no advocate? If he gets in trouble, who will plead his case?

"Little Boy Blue" is a book about a boy with no parent and no advocate. His father isn't there for him, and when he gets taken before the Judges, he has no adult to plead his case. The only place he'll get sent is a juvenile prison. They tell Alex he needs to stop fighting with everyone, but in the world of juvenile detention, you have to fight. If you don't, you'll be sexually exploited and/or killed for sport.

We tell kids to obey the law, trust adults, don't fight, count to ten when you're angry, do your homework, go to school, etc. But what's the kid to do when his home is not conducive to those values. He's told one thing by the educators, and shown another by his world.

I have read all of Bunkers books and love this one . A story of a boy and the cycle of a life of crime , and desperation... if youve been there you know already. So there is hope out there a way out of the darkness.. Read all his books.. real gritty gangsta ..

California in the post WWII era was as bad as it was in the early 1990's. Unemployment, drugs, juvenile crime, sex offenders, you name it. It was all there, and there was no protection for anyone, children or adults. Read this book and you'll feel sorry for anyone who grew up in that era. Anyone who talks of the good old days has false memory syndrome!

Relentless, depressing, more carefully delineated than anything in Dreiser, this semi-autobiographical novel grabs you on the first page and swings you around like a dead cat till you hit the end.

What makes this more than a simple juv-prison tale is the period detail of the Los Angeles area in the 1940s. It's very much like what you find in cheap movies and film noir of the period, except that in the movies the authentic setting is there by happenstance, whereas in Bunker's novel it is put there with conscious purpose as vital background to the plot.

This is a haunting book that left me feeling like I had been through the same exhausting experiences as its protagonist. A very quick, gripping read. Nothing in specific can really account for the way the writing put you under its spell except for a clear style that pulls you in and makes you care.