dees_books's review against another edition
4.0
Tyrell can’t catch a break. He stopped going to high school a few months ago when he decided it was more important to find work and support his mom and little brother Troy while his dad’s in jail. He and his mom and brother are unhoused and living in a shelter that’s in poor condition, and Tyrell is frequently consumed with caregiving responsibilities for his younger brother as his mom deals with the trauma of being separated from her partner, struggling to find steady work/income to support her kids, and parenting while unhoused in a system that isn’t trauma-informed in the slightest. Tyrell’s North Star is girlfriend Novisha, who he’s been dating for over a year. Novisha’s family struggles, too, but they have food on the table every night and Novisha’s on track to graduate and has the luxury of planning for dreams she wants to accomplish far out in the future. While everything else around him is changing constantly, Novisha’s care and love feels constant and reliable. It’s one of the few things keeping Ty going, until it gets complicated. Ty meets Jasmine, another girl his age living in the shelter, who he not only thinks is super hot but also is surprised by how easy it is to talk to her and to relate to her. Jasmine understands the trauma Ty is holding in ways Novisha can’t.
Tyrell by Coe Booth is a hard and beautiful read about an unhoused teen taking life day by day. In many ways, Tyrell is about navigating love and feeling deserving of love amidst great trauma. As a narrator, Ty is incredibly honest and open, letting the reader into the pain and tenderness that go into all of his decisions — how he cares for his brother and mom, makes money, supports and tries to protect the women he loves, etc. Ty is also resilient and finds community support and love where social services fail time and time again. Booth's experience working with teens and families in crisis in the Bronx comes through strong throughout the course of the book as she writes about Ty and his family’s experiences in a way that’s raw yet also holds the trauma they’re experiencing with great care and tenderness. A content warning: this book includes descriptions of intimate-partner violence, mature sex content, and carceral conditions of homeless shelters, so please take care while reading.
Tyrell by Coe Booth is a hard and beautiful read about an unhoused teen taking life day by day. In many ways, Tyrell is about navigating love and feeling deserving of love amidst great trauma. As a narrator, Ty is incredibly honest and open, letting the reader into the pain and tenderness that go into all of his decisions — how he cares for his brother and mom, makes money, supports and tries to protect the women he loves, etc. Ty is also resilient and finds community support and love where social services fail time and time again. Booth's experience working with teens and families in crisis in the Bronx comes through strong throughout the course of the book as she writes about Ty and his family’s experiences in a way that’s raw yet also holds the trauma they’re experiencing with great care and tenderness. A content warning: this book includes descriptions of intimate-partner violence, mature sex content, and carceral conditions of homeless shelters, so please take care while reading.
afro8921's review against another edition
4.0
Tyrell is a 15 year old homeless boy struggling to keep his family together after his father is incarcerated. He stays in a roach infested hotel with his mother and brother while they wait for housing. Tyrell's living situation is made even more tenuous by his mother's previous housing scams. His mother's refusal to accept any responsibility for his younger brother, or the current state of their family, drives Tyrell to try and find a way out of their current crisis. Ms. Coe pens a good read depicting the different voices many young men must sift through in order to make a path to a brighter future. This novel doesn't end in an exactly healthy place. The reader is left waiting to see how the rest of Tyrell's story ends. This would be a great read for teens or tweens who enjoy realistic fiction.
chadstep's review against another edition
5.0
Riveting--start to finish, this first person story grips you by the shoulders and shakes you awake into the complexities of teen life and teen homelessness in the Bronx.
shelleebee's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of my tenth-grade students' favorite books. It tells the story of an African-American boy from the Bronx who is homeless with his mom and younger brother. They live, for now, in a government-sponsored hotel that is barely livable. Tyrell decides that it is up to him to get them out of there because his mother can barely take care of herself, and he has to help his younger brother. The book is written in first-person and is full of the language of urban teens. There is also no shortage of sex, drugs, and hip-hop in this modern Bildungsroman. A Cooper favorite!
missprint_'s review against another edition
3.0
The writing style made it REALLY hard for me to get into the story.
cities's review against another edition
3.0
I think the content was too mature for me at the time because I read it when I was like...8
knitterjaimi's review
Slow read for me and it’s overdue at the library. I’ll finish eventually.
colleenaf's review against another edition
4.0
One of the most authentic voices I've read in a long time. This story never goes the predictable route. A brilliant start for Coe.
kwbat12's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this. It's a very good account of a young man struggling to overcome his circumstances.