Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty

by G. Neri, ill. Randy DuBurke, 94 pages

"Cry if you will, but make up your mind that you will never let your life end like this."

Listed as one of YALSA's top ten graphic novels for teens, Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty is the true story of the life and death of an 11-year-old gang member named Robert Sandifer, nicknamed "Yummy" because of his penchant for candy bars and cookies. The novel is written from the perspective of Roger, an imaginary 11-year-old living in Sandifer's neighborhood when Sandifer, a member of the Black Disciples gang, accidentally shoots and murders 14-year-old Shavon Dean. For 3 days, Sandifer's gang members help him hide from the police but eventually they decide he's too much of a risk and they quietly murder him in an underpass.

This graphic novel hits where Strasser's "If I Grow Up" grossly missed. It's well-researched but not as heavily laden with statistics - thus to me, it feels intensely more genuine. "But Katie, it's a true story! Of course it's going to be more genuine!" you say. Yes, I get that but this author could have just as easily chose to interject the story with his own dose of morality but instead he keeps the focus on the people in Sandifer's neighborhood. The tragedy and reverence seeps out of the story itself rather than hard-hitting ghetto factoids.

Yummy's story has stayed with me. So much so that I found myself researching more about Sandifer and life in the projects. That's what a book like this should do - compel you to learn more. Like it says in the book, it's hard to decide which is sadder - how Yummy lived or how he died.

This graphic novel would be appropriate for middle schoolers AND high schoolers. It's a quick read with beautiful graphics and has the potential to spur some very interesting discussion.