Customer Reviews

Patterson Heights (Kimani TRU (Quality))

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

 

 

Avery and his brother Rashid are inseparable. He idolizes his older brother and aspires to be just like him. When Rashid is tragically killed during a basketball court altercation, Avery's world is turned upside down. The family moves out of the Patterson Heights neighborhood into a small cramped apartment on the other side of town.

Avery attends a new school, becomes depressed and stops speaking. His home life isn't easier. His mother begins a crusade to learn who killed her firstborn son and his father becomes distant from the family. When Avery attends group therapy sessions at "Let's Straighten it Out," he finally has a emotional breakthrough and slowly begins to speak and interact with his family and friends.

Along the way, Avery befriends, Pretty Ricky and Natasha who both help him cope during this period. I really don't want to give away the last two chapters of this book because it will really keep you on the edge of your seat. Patterson Heights was a page turner from author Felicia Pride. Not many teen books tackle the sensitive subject of sibling loss, therapy and vividly as Pride does. The scenes where Rashid speaks to Avery are heartfelt and touching. This book can be used as a alternate title for Yasmin Shiraz's 'Retaliation.'

The Washingtons were a tight knit family; eating meals together, enjoying one another, attending New Saints Tabernacle on the Lord's Day. It was on a Sunday that tragedy struck. A mother and father lost their first born son. Avery Washington lost his brother and best friend. Rashid was shot down - the bullet wasn't intended for him.
Avery was an A student and had been accepted into the accelerated academic program at Baltimore Central High. He looked forward to going to college with his brother, Rashid, who wanted to be a lawyer so he could fight for justice. After losing Rashid, Avery went numb. Family life began to fall apart, his grades no longer mattered to him and he increasingly secluded himself in his bedroom. It was only the memories of good times spent with Rashid that helped him make it through each day.
Life became somewhat bearable for Avery when he joined Straighten It Out, a program for youth, and even more bearable when he met Natasha Mayfield. Still, he wasn't going to be satisfied until he confronted the person who killed young Rashid, robbing him of life and the chance to live his dreams.
Even though Avery's mother, Yvette, was referred to as crazy, I fully understood her reaction to her son's death and totally sympathized with her. I felt for Natasha and all she had been through in her life. Ricardo (aka Pretty Ricky) I'm not sure what to say about him but he sure wasn't the type of guy Avery needed to be around. And Trevor? It wasn't in his heart to be anything like his dad but he had to front to please him - that was disappointing. It did help to know why he did what he did and how he felt about it afterward but I couldn't sympathize with him because the boy did make a choice to take a life.
This is realistic fiction. The characters are believable, the profanity isn't pervasive, I learned a bit about Baltimore and the author includes important messages for young people (Two thumbs up for Chapter 22!) As far as ratings go, to me 3 stars means I liked it (Amazon's 3 stars=it's ok), 4 stars-I really liked it and 5 stars-I loved it. I give Patterson Heights 3.5.

This book and this publishing house is great for the young AA reader! My teen daughter now shops for them by Kimani! Take the risk!