Promise Boys

Life in Washington DC is not all about the White House and wealthy areas.  There are tough areas where being Black or Latino can have profound influence on your future.  Schools such as Urban Promise Prep School provide a tough environment that is meant to steer young men away from crime, but when the Headteacher is found murdered the whole school and system are put under threat.  At the outset there appears to be three possible culprits, all of whom have had conflicts with the head in the days leading up to his death.  Whilst the police carry out their investigations, the three suspects, Ramon, J.B and Trey decide that they have to try and prove their innocence.  What follows really opens a can of worms perhaps the ‘much loved’ Head was not as popular as appears on the surface.

This is a fascinating multi-layered story where it is difficult to know who is telling the truth.  The author has created a world that many can only imagine, but for many others it is a way of life that they are caught up in.  The young men in this story are coping with situations that put huge strains in their behaviour.  There are dysfunctional families, prejudice, racism and neighbourhoods where gang culture rules the lives of so many.  The story is told from the viewpoint of many of the characters and it also moves around in time, giving us a look at the build up to the murder. The author has also varied the length of the chapters; some of them are only a page and are really just comments from characters, whilst others are multiple pages and deal with more complex issues.  Despite this being a very American story, there are themes and situations that will strike a chord for many young people; the names might be different, but the pressures and dangers that young people face is still very real.  Nick Brooks has given us a very thought-provoking and disturbing book that mixes a murder mystery with urban strife and which will keep the reader hooked to the last page.