I write about hope in hard places, about young people who encounter challenges but through perseverance, the help of good friends and the love of family and caring adults, learn just how wonderfully gifted, determined and capable they are. Read more about me.
They fall in love, plot revenge, seek to be understood. They sit in class, show their colors, date your daughter and dream of making it big. But do you know them, these brazen, brilliant, bold young men walking among us? In my new novel, young men celebrate love, mentor younger boys, wrestle with AIDS and comtemplate suicide. They dodge adults who mean them harm, brag about becoming president and wonder if they'll be alive in the morning. Boys: Do we know 'em?
Young people and adults discuss what hope means to them.
In Marcus's world, battles are fought every day--on the street, at home, and in school. Angered by his sister's death and his father's absence, and pushed to the brink by a bullying classmate, Marcus fights back with his fists. One punch away from being kicked out of school and his home, Marcus meets an unlikely chess master who challenges him to fight his battles on the chessboard. This novel, written in verse, is a page turner and a great read. Inspired by inner-city school chess enrichment programs, it explores the ways this strategic game empowers young people with the skills they need to anticipate and calculate their moves through life. Makes me wish I had stayed in the chess club when I was in high school. I'm hoping it will help others find their way to the board as well as to more and more great books.
By: G. Neri
Life is not a fairy tale. It's a series of problems to be solved. Judge Lynn Toler (Divorce Court television show)
"When I visit schools I ask young people to tell me about the kings and queens in their neighborhoods. I ask them about the castles there too. Sometimes they look at me as if I've lost my mind; even kids in wealthy neighborhoods do that. But then they catch on--castles are everywhere if we look for them and don't expect them all to look the same."
Who would ever think that I would have a fan club. But what’s a fan club without you? So come join in the fun. Once a month your name will be placed in a hat (or a can or something) and you could win a pize. Click here for details!
