Somewhere in the Darkness

Written by Walter Dean Myers

Narrated by JD Jackson

An exciting, eye-catching repackage of acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers' bestselling paperbacks, to coincide with the publication of SUNRISE OVER FALLUJA in hardcover. Jimmy hasn't seen his father in nine years. But one day he comes back -- on the run from the law. Together, the two of them travel across the country -- where Jimmy's dad will find the man who can exonerate him of the crime for which he was convicted. Along the way, Jimmy discovers a lot about his father and himself -- and that while things can't always be fixed, sometimes they can be understood and forgiven.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 27, 2013
• ISBN: 9781470393571

Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers was the New York Times bestselling author of Monster, the winner of the first Michael L. Printz Award; a former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature; and an inaugural NYC Literary Honoree. Myers received every single major award in the field of children's literature. He was the author of two Newbery Honor Books and six Coretta Scott King Awardees. He was the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults, a three-time National Book Award Finalist, as well as the first-ever recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Reviews for Somewhere in the Darkness

[electrascaife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

14yo Jimmy lives a fairly happy life in Harlem with Mama Jean, a family friend. His mother is dead and his father has been in and out of prison. When Crab - his father - shows up out of the blue one day to take Jimmy on a cross-country trip, Jimmy struggles with missing his home and Mama Jean, and trying to reconcile the man in the car with his ideas about what his father would and should be like. Crab has - and still does - make questionable life choices, but can Jimmy be strong enough to give him what he seeks - forgiveness?This one feels a little dark for a Newbery Honor Book, but it's a good one, nonetheless. Myers does a nice job of making all the characters feel real - Jimmy reads just right for a 14yo, and I love that he's a PoC teen who faces hardships but isn't all-angst-all-the-time. Myers is also good at creating an atmosphere of unease and feeding it without letting it get overbearing.

[andy_dimartino · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Left me feeling like it wasn't complete.

[letitiagoodman · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is one of my favorite books by Myers. He truly knows how to get to the heart and soul of what young men not only enjoy about a good book, but also how to motivate them by writing stories that mean something to their lives. The story is also what teachers can appreciate about a good book-high interest and low reading level. These factors make it possible for more young men (and young women) to want to read the book and get something from it.

[bsafarik_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This story is about a search for absolution and understanding, an attempt to make up for many years of being gone, and a search to find one’s life after years of losing it. Written about a father and son, this book would appeal to boys but the nature of the story also lends itself to girls as well. The story is rather slow, although thoughtful, and written with easy to read vocabulary, but the story line has little action and may not be very interesting to young readers.

[vaillance_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Walter Dean Myer's characters are often able to see things that others don't see. The main character, Jimmy, in Myers' Somewhere in the Darkness, is no exception. Somewhere in the Darkness is not an easy read because all the people in the story are facing complex challenges, both external and personal. Yet time spent with Myers' persevering and gritty characters is well worth the effort.

[discolite-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Jimmy Little is a teenage kid doing okay with his life in New York when it is disrupted by the arrival of his father, Crab - sick with a kidney ailment, who Jimmy soon learns has escaped from prison. Jimmy leaves his home and his ‘Mama’ Jean to join his father on a journey through Chicago, Memphis and onto Arkansas - Crab out to seek the truth about his crimes for Jimmy’s benefit and Jimmy trying to understand who this man is who suddenly stepped into his life. Crab is eventually turned over to the police and dies in a hospital bed and Jimmy returns to New York.I didn’t think I would take to Somewhere In the Darkness - not something that I could relate to, but I did find the novel quite compelling. Although the story especially speaks to a very specific group of people - young, black, teenage boys - I’m sure that many young readers would be able to identify with Jimmy. I loved how the answers weren’t all there for Jimmy at the end - just another addition to its realistic tone.