The Boy Who Hit Back

Matthew is fighting, stealing, and skipping school. This once popular high school kid is screwing up big time, and his perfect world is quickly unraveling. After his parents divorced and his brother and father went missing, he needed an outlet for his rage. Matthew escapes to the seductive streets of Greenwich Village, where he is fascinated by Sailor Barlow, a mysterious panhandler. When Matt discovers a dark secret about Barlow, an ex-prizefighter, he's convinced he is the only person who can save him-and risks everything in the process. As Matt sinks deeper into New York City's skid-row, a hell-hole infested with liars, cheats, thugs, depravity, kidnapping, and death, he discovers that sometimes, the brightest lights come from the darkest places. Determined to claw himself and Sailor back from the brink of destruction, Matthew discovers new bravery, innate cunning, and something even more rewarding than he could have ever imagined...