Customer Reviews

Worth Fighting 4

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

 

 

"Worth Fighting 4" by Jayel Imes is told through the eyes of Martin Little, a pubescent yet enterprising sixth grade student in Aurora, Colorado. Martin seems to idolize his father, a walking salesman and wishes, himself to become a self-employed businessman. With careful thought, Martin makes a decision to operate a candy distribution racket amongst his circle of friends at school, thereby opening the door to a world of trouble from local gang members. The gang members watch how profitable and popular Martin and his friends become and make it their business to try to violently bully their way into the action.


This story is filled with numerous incidents involving gang violence, racial infractions, peer pressure and intimidation. There are times when the reader is left to wonder when the parental involvement of Martin and his friends, as well as the administrators at his school will intervene as the warfare intensifies. Finally, after a tragic encounter with the gang, Martin and his friends join together to show a sign of force. The results are varied, as jail and death become closely entrenched in the lives of these teens.


Although it is clear that the author, through his creation of such a story is attempting to curtail some of the tragic mistakes our youth make in this day and age, much of the message is lost in the poor editing. There are times when the grammatical and typographical errors cause the reader to lose track in the initial premise of a passage.


This book is best suited for children leaving the elementary school setting, as well as their parents. The parents of those children might benefit from developing conversations with their child that focus on many of the issues raised in the book.
APOOO rating: 3

Reviewed by Detrel
APOOO BookClub
www.apooo.org

5 friends, led by Martin Little, start a profitable candy selling buisiness. As buisiness prospers racial tension starts between the blacks and hispanics at the school. Malcolm later finds about his hispanic heratige and now he must look at things in a new light. There is a much bigger problem at hand. Gang violence! Can 5 friends along with the help of some seventh graders and their once enemies join together and fight against one of the most infamous gangs in Denver? Will it prove to be worth fighting for?

This was definitaly worth reading and it showed how young people can stand up to a much bigger force. Anything is possible if stand together and believe what you are doing is right. This book is great. Dont think the book is boring and just all about morals. There is some suprising and mishevious parts that you can relate to. This book is capable of making you both laugh and cry. It is a great read and it is worth reading.

C&B Reviewer - 4 Star review


Well done!
This book is age appropriate for those 13 and older. The author encourages parents and teachers to read this book along with the child. There are thought provoking discussion questions included
We are introduced to Martin Little who at the age of eleven is very enterprising and already quite the businessman. Martin is blessed to have parents who also in sales, so they encourage him and his friends to sell to their friends at school. The business takes off right away which garners the attention of both the gang set.
In this coming of age story, Martin and his friends must deal with the brewing undercurrent of a racial war as well as deal with 2 rival gangs that insist that Martin and his friends are at a point where they must make a decision where their loyalties lie.
Jaeyel Imes does a masterful job of weaving a believable tale of the daily struggles of young Black men, as well as, gives the reader a glimpse of the struggles of young men from other races. The end result is finding out that the two struggles are not that different.
Rating: 4 Stars

:Worth Fighting 4

Martin Little, in WORTH FIGHTING 4 by Jaeyel Imes, is a sixth grader at East Middle School in Aurora, Colorado who wants to be a businessperson just like both his parents. His school is slowly being taken over by gang bangers and it just isn't safe to be there anymore. Martin has his own ideas about what he is going to do with his life - and it isn't being in gangs. Martin starts a business selling candy at lower prices than the school does. While he doesn't become rich, he does have plenty of cash to save for college. Unfortunately, the gangs want to run the school and they bully Martin and his friends. Finally, Martin and his crew have had enough. They don't form a gang, but they manage to get the entire sixth grade to rebel against the influx of gang members and they work to push them off campus. There is plenty of violence involved, as the gangs are not going to give up easily.

This is a coming of age story of a brave young man with a strong desire to be a businessman in his own right. It is a smooth, quick read however, a little editing would have helped quite a bit. I would recommend this story for young, black men growing up in today's rough and tumble world of gangs and guns. It tells what's really important in this world. It shows both the good and the bad and what effects both have on the youngsters.

Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

With the blessings from their parent's young entrepreneurs Martin, Calvin, Lester and friends start a lucrative candy business at their school. Things are going well until jealousy and intimidation by local gang members Garfield and Freddie threaten their successful business. Should Martin and his friends join the gang just to keep the peace or must they fight?
Martin doesn't want to disappoint his parents and besides he's making his own money now with an added bonus... girls!
But hot head Calvin welcomes any chance he gets to fight gang leader Garfield, as he believes Garfield is responsible for his sister's death.

With racial undercurrents brewing around them and hesitant feelings among these 12 year olds they try to support each other and stand up for their right to go to school in a peaceful environment. But the way they go about this doesn't sit well with school officials and their parents. The tension builds as a war is brewing inside and outside the school with heartbreaking consequences for the whole neighborhood.

With the story being told in Martin's words and thoughts we have a front row view to the heavy load that is sometimes placed on our teenager's shoulders. Although Martin and his friends are motivated to strive for the best, circumstances and peer pressure is a constant challenge.

I enjoyed this teen friendly story which read more like someone's true story than fiction. I thought the author should have dived a little deeper into the tensions between the African Americans and the Hispanics since he mentions the "possibility of a race war of epic proportions" in the synopsis. I like the ending as I was able to read what became of Martin and his friends ten years later.
I give author Jaeyel Imes a ten for original content and will certainly pass this book on to my two teenage nephews as I'm anxious to hear their views on this story. I could see this book as being and excellent class discussion for fourteen years and older.

Locksie
ARC Book Club Inc.

Star Rating *****5.0

So Many Tears is conveyed through a strong voice emanating from
Second Chance as he struggles to put his life together after the
death of his mother. The underlying story and a powerful one is his
relationship with his half brothers Hope, Passion, and Love.

It is the story of Second Chance's story of making his life better at the risk of leaving behind those he cares for. It becomes transparent which brothers are the closest and which ones are not. However, in the end you find out family is just that, family, but for half brothers is there a difference?

I read Never too Much Jaeyel's previous work and So Many Tears. While reading, you were able to secure a good flow but suddenly, a word jumps right off the page or you wish it would because it shows up in a foreign place. As annoying as it was, the poor editing did not stop me from completing it. Consequentially, it did restrict me from giving the book an APOOO rating of five which is what it truly deserves.

Missy
APOOO BookClub

When i bought this book i wasn't too sure about it, but when i started to read it, i was very entertained and impressed. This reminded me a lot of my middle school years, which i thought was very uplifting. Keep up the good work.