Name: Autobiography of My Dead Brother
ISBN: 9780060582913

Walter Dean Myers

Christopher Myers

Jesse uses his sketchbook and comic strips to make sense of his home in Harlem and the loss of a close friendship.

Autobiography of My Dead Brother

The thing was that me and Rise were blood brothers, but sometimes I really didn't know him. . . . As Jesse fills his sketchbook with drawings and portraits of Rise, he tries to make sense of the complexities of friendship, loyalty, and loss in a neighborhood plagued by drive-bys, vicious gangs, and abusive cops.

Jeni Enjaian

I have to admit that the only thing that I really enjoyed about this book was the illustrations that pepper almost every page. The narrative felt muddled and fluid, hard to pin down. I have come to the realization that while this is real life for many people and thus this book appeals to them, I do not fit into the target demographic. I finished the book with little clue as to what Myers wanted me as the reader to take away from the text. The book is well written. It's just not my cup of tea.