Jimmy has been charged with assault of a classmate and faces 6 months in a juvenile facility. Instead the judge allows him to be part of a mentoring program headed by Duke, a Harlem barbershop owner. While working at the shop, Jimmy hears Duke and his customers discuss life, success and failure. Myers wrote this book, inspired by he people he's known, especially those who failed. The goal of this book is so obvious it comes off as pedantic, but maybe a concrete discussion of one's choices in life is the best way to get the message to those who need it most.

I thought it was a good book for someone about 12 years old and not necessarily a boy. I found it interesting and motivational. ( )

RGG: Didatic discussion of making the right life choices masked in a novel about a teenage boy doing his "probation" in the neighborhood barber shop.

RGG: Didatic discussion of making the right life choices masked in a novel about a teenage boy doing his "probation" in the neighborhood barber shop.

Every community should have a barbershop of wisdom with a mentor like Duke. As Duke offers pearls of wisdom to teen juvenile offenders placed under his wing, one truly admires the time and commitment to these boys; the narrative itself, however, is a bit didactic and filled with more dialogue than action. While a mature reader may have sufficient patience for the slow moving plot, a young man in need of Duke's guidance may not. ( )