12 Brown Boys

We hear a lot about the need to get more boys reading. According to a 2000 study cited by the National Center for Education Statistics, boys lagged behind girls in reading performance across all age groups. Experts say the reading gap for African-American and Latino young men is even more pronounced. There are lots of factors that contribute to this problem. But here are two that seem solvable -- Some boys find books boring and have trouble connecting with the stories. How can we turn that around? Give young men books that reflect their interests and lives. 12 Brown Boys (Just Us Books, 2008), the children's book debut of best-selling urban lit novelist Omar Tyree, does that in a meaningful way. In this short story collection for middle-graders, Tyree explores the lives of a memorable cast of tween brown boys. His characters, with names like Red-Head Mike, Chestnut and Oneal, come from different family situations and backgrounds. They face different trials. They show diversity in their interests and beliefs. But they're united in being young men with frailties and flaws, strengths and talents. Tyree succeeds in creating distinct personalities with complex lives. He opens the book with the throw-back story of a boy named Michael who loves Heavy D and Rakim and looks up to an older teen named Cool Dave. Then, Michael discovers what Dave does for a living and things get more complicated. Tyree shows us a boy who struggles with reading in public until his dad teaches him a trick he used as a child. There's a young artist and musician who inspires his friend. There's an oldest son who stands up when he's needed most. In Tyree's book, we travel from Jamaica to Detroit, from Washington, D.C. to Charlotte and a camp in the Poconos to meet boys who stick up for their beliefs, have fun their own way, weather challenging moments and unfamiliar experiences to become their best selves. 12 Brown Boys is a needed book that gives African-American boys an important incentive to read -- reflections of themselves.

Taking a departure from Adult Urban Lit, Omar Tyree has used his passion for children's literacy to pen this fantastic collection of short stories geared at the most overlooked demographic: young black boys. In 12 Brown Boys, we meet several different boys with different life experiences. From the hiphop loving boy who discovers that the neighborhood drug dealer isn't that cool, to Red Head Mike who grows to appreciate his uniqueness, to the Jamaican boys entertaining themselves without the use of computers and gameboys, we are brought into the minds and hearts of some great kids. The humor and level of understanding Tyree has for his core audience is appreciated while he incorporates elements that will encourage parents to share in reading the stories. Though the book is written with the boys in mind, girls can enjoy the stories themselves, as my daughter LOVES this book. She read some to her class, and they all wanted a copy. This collection begs the question: Where have our boys seen themselves in books? Little white girls seem to be the biggest target in children's books, and our boys are left with next to nothing. The few books that are "geared" towards our little brown boys are poverty/hood stories, depressing slavery tales, or ones off in Africa where they can't relate. There is little to celebrate about being a little brown boy who will grow up to be a big brown man. Do we want more angry black men? Tyree knows the first step in building better men is by encouraging the youth. And this book, as well as his upcoming comics, are exactly what is needed. Make it a celebration. Buy 12 Brown Boys today for someone you love who you want to love himself.