Sleepers

By Lorenzo Carcaterra

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The extraordinary true story of four men who take the law into their own hands.
 
This is the story of four young boys. Four lifelong friends. Intelligent, fun-loving, wise beyond their years, they are inseparable. Their potential is unlimited, but they are content to live within the closed world of New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen. And to play as many pranks as they can on the denizens of the street. They never get caught. And they know they never will.
 
Until one disastrous summer afternoon.
 
On that day, what begins as a harmless scheme goes horrible wrong. And the four find themselves facing a year’s imprisonment in the Wilkinson Home for Boys. The oldest of them is fifteen, the youngest twelve. What happens to them over the course of that year—brutal beatings, unimaginable humiliation—will change their lives forever.
 
Years later, one has become a lawyer. One a reporter. And two have grown up to be murderers, professional hit men. For all of them, the pain and fear of Wilkinson still rages within. Only one thing can erase it.
 
Revenge.
 
To exact it, they will twist the legal system. Commandeer the courtroom for their agenda. Use the wiles they observed on the streets, the violence they learned at Wilkinson.
 
If they get caught this time, they only have one thing left to lose: their lives.
 
Praise for Sleepers
 
“Undeniably powerful, an enormously affecting and intensely human story . . . Sleepers is a thriller, to be sure, but it is equally a wistful hymn to another age.”—The Washington Post Book World
 
“A powerful book, hard to forget . . . Carcaterra is an excellent writer, changing pace here and there but never letting the reader go. . . . Sensitive, humorous, and harrowing, featuring dialogue with perfect pitch.”—The Denver Post

“A gut-wrenching piece of work . . . [Lorenzo] Carcaterra’s graphic narrative grips like gunfire in a dark alley.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“A terrifying account of brutality and retribution, searing in its emotional truth, peopled with murderers, sadists, and thugs, but biblical in its passion and scope.”—People

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 29, 2010
• ISBN: 9780307756657

Reviews for Sleepers

[briannad84 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great story and movie. Personally I think the movie was great, definitely a classic, but the book was better. This is not a true story. Much of this was elaborated on, people in it are real but have never heard of the author, his friends, or the guards in question. The boy's home is not a real place although there's definitely been places like it. And there was controversy back when it originally came out. Like most people probably, I tried looking this up, and that was my finding. Still makes for a great story though!

[dolly22_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A well written account of four young boys who experience sustained physical and sexual abuse when incarcerated in a remand home for juveniles. The novel explores the adverse effects of these experiences on the boys as adults and how, when a murder is committed which implicates two of the boys, the others seek to utilise this as an opportunity for revenge on their torturers. It explores the themes of friendship, loyalty and resilience and while an uncomfortable read at times, it is also very gripping

[sbenne3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've seen the movie years ago and saw the book on a sale rack and decided to read it - it really is an impactful story. Having a son about the age of these boys made it an even harder read than it already is.

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

The book is very well written and graphic in its portrayal of violence and sex, but I had a sneaking suspicion it may be mostly fiction even while I was reading it years ago. A quick search on the net now convinces me that there is a huge controversy regarding the veracity of the story.

If it's a true story, it rates five stars.

If it's fiction paraded as truth, it rates only one star.

Since there is no way of establishing the truth, I plumb for three stars.

[mahallett · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

disturbing story about child abuse in reform school

[t1bnotown · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was the book that members of my ninth grade English class in my group for "coming of age" project chose. It was certainly interesting, though not something I would have chosen (it has more action/adventure than I go for). It did probably broaden my worldview at the time.

[raggedtig · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very disturbing story based on Carcaterra's life while attending Catholic school. Apparently the sexual abuse has been going on for quite some time. The movie does this book no justice at all. A must read!!!

[carlar_82074 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have to say that I liked this book. It was not one of those books where I know everything that's going to happen before it does. A pretty good "coming of age" story about growing up in Hell's Kitchen, and how those with the same life experience while growing up can turn out to be vastly different adults. Not only did I like the book, but I also enjoyed the movie, and even have a copy in my own video library.