It Ain’t All for Nothin’

Written by Walter Dean Myers

Narrated by Corey Allen

Life in Harlem isn't easy, but Tippy and his grandmother are doing okay. Then Grandma Carrie gets sick, and Tippy goes to live with Lonnie, his father. Lonnie's got his own thing going on, and he doesn't have much room in his life for a son he barely knows -- unless, that is, Tippy is willing to walk the far side of the fine line between right and wrong. Grandma Carrie always said if he had Jesus in his heart there wasn't anything to worry about, but sometimes it's not that simple. When the chips are down, will Tippy be able to call for help -- and is there anyone out there who will listen?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9781980049128

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 It Ain’t All for Nothin’

[kishields · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book, though written quite a long time ago, is still relevant and moving. It tells the story of a young boy who is living in poverty, but happily, with his religious and loving grandmother. When she gets sick, he is forced to live with his drinking, drugging, thieving father and must make some hard choices. The book does not pretty up this lifestyle, though his life is less violent than a similar boy's of today would be. The book felt very authentic, particularly (oddly enough) in its depiction of his loss of his grandmother. She becomes a victim of nursing home syndrome, which is accurately portrayed, as I think anyone would agree who has witnessed a relative or friend decline in a home. Sad, but honest.