Tough Boy Sonatas

Written by Curtis Crisler

Narrated by Kevin R. Free

Wherever your home is, it's probably not as tough as Gary, Indiana. Gary has been called a lot of things. The Armpit of Chicago. The Land of Robbing Hoods. Hell. For the children of Gary, living often boils down to surviving. Maybe these kids get caught up in games of gin rummy. Maybe they spin tops as a way to scratch something fun out of their desperation. Maybe they stand by helplessly as their tenement buildings go up in flames. Or maybe they get held up at gunpoint by somebody who wants more money than he could steal from his church collection box. Award-winning poet Curtis L. Crisler's work gives voice to the children of Gary, shedding some light on their experiences. Kevin R. Free, Dion Graham, and JD Jackson provides a haunting performance of Crisler's bittersweet poems. "Written with skillful manipulation of sound, rhythm, and form, the poems are filled with sophisticated imagery and graphic words ."-Booklist, starred review "These poems are muscular and vivid, fierce with the sound and force of language."-School Library Journal, starred review

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781490608129

Reviews for Tough Boy Sonatas

[carmellalee · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Personal Response: The author presents a collection of poems about growing up in Gary, Indiana. The poems are written in the voice of the young African American male. The poems are graphic and they are ranging from violence to the struggles to claim a mature, male identity.Curricular or Programming Connections: Poetry & Short Stories – Creative WritingPoetry and short stories express many ideas, feelings, travels, holidays, events, school, work, jobs, relationships and life as a whole.