I saw this book pass through the library earlier this week, and I thought that it looked interesting. Honestly, what first caught my eye was the GIANT Coretta Scott King Award sticker on the front of the book. No matter what the reason was that I picked it up, I picked it up. I read the leaf and subsequently the introduction and was 100% hooked.
Yummy is a graphic novel that is about Robert Sandifer, an eleven year old boy who lives in the Roseland area of Chicago. He gets caught up in a gang, the Black Disciples, and the gang violence that goes along with it. As I started reading, I was completely grabbed. This book is based off of true events in 1994 and the author pulls together police reports, public records and court records to paint the whole picture. (Please don’t google it, you’ll spoil the fun of the book…) The narrator of the story, Roger, is fictitious and is used to piece together some events, and make others move faster. It creates continuity in the story. I didn’t think that I would like this story because I didn’t feel like it related to me at all. I mean, I am about the whitest guy I know and the closest I’ve come to gang violence is watching the news and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Anyway, Yummy is a shorty for the Black Disciples. I didn’t know what a shorty was either until I read this book. A shorty is a minor who is used to do the dirty work for gangs. Since they are minors, they can’t get thrown in jail. They’ll be sent to juvenile detention centers and later released. By using shorties, gangs can get a lot of jobs done without risking a member being arrested. Yummy is exceptionally good at his job, and he bullies, steals, and fights his way through life. However, he’s still eleven and hasn’t really known a real home. He still sleeps with a teddy bear at night, and doesn’t fit in anywhere. Though he’s a member of this gang, he’s still just a boy too.
As he’s looking out for the Black Disciples’ territory, he decides to make a name for himself and pull a gun at some kids playing basketball on his turf. They scatter, and he pulls the trigger. With one motion, Yummy has split his neighborhood and has become a fugitive everywhere he goes. If he didn’t feel like he belonged before, there’s no chance for him now.
Roger tells us the tale of Yummy, and how he had to move from house to house and stay away from the police. The world is a scary place for me, and I can’t imagine how scary it was for eleven year old Yummy who lived in the projects while involved with a gang.
I finished the book in two sittings. It was a very fast read, but it was fantastic. I have to say that this book made me seriously think about things in the world. It is written in such a personable way that I felt like I knew Roger; that he was telling the story to me. It’s no wonder that this book received a Coretta Scott King Award honor. I couldn’t put it down, and I felt more complete after reading it. I would recommend Yummy to anyone! I don’t care if you’re black, white, yellow or purple. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor either. This book is excellent, and I hope that more people read this.
Roger Sandifer made the cover of Time magazine, and President Bill Clinton even spoke of him. Please, please, please read this book.
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