Slake's Limbo

by Felice Holman

This is the story about survival, and about a 13-year-old misfit's attempts to find footing in a hostile and threatening world.

Desperate, driven, harassed to the breaking point, Slake decides to go underground -- into the sheltering depths of the New York City Subway where he ends up staying for one hundred and twenty-one days.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Adventure, Childrens, School, American

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Felice Holman was born October 24, 1919, in New York City. She graduated from Syracuse University in 1941 and later worked as an advertising copywriter. She married Herbert Valen in 1941 and some of the experiences of their daughter, Nanine Elisabeth Valen, would serve as the model for her first book, Elisabeth, The Bird Watcher, which was published in 1963.

During the 1960s, she published two more "Elisabeth" stories and wrote some humorous books for children. In 1970, she published her first book of poetry for children: At the Top of My Voice. Critics praised the poems for their "originality, humor, and point." She continued to write humorous stories for young readers, including The Escape of the Giant Hogstalk (1974) that critics called filled "with giggles interspersed with horse laughs all the way."

In the 1970s, she also began writing realistic fiction for young adults. Her book Slake's Limbo (1974), the story of a boy who lives in a cave below Grand Central Station, was lauded for its "authenticity of detail" and as "remarkably taut" and "convincing." In 1975, she co-wrote The Drac: French Tales of Dragons and Demons, a collection of French legends with her daughter, Nanine Valen.

Throughout her long and prolific career, Felice Holman has received several honors, including a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for young adult's literature and an American Library Association notable book citation for Slake's Limbo in 1978. Felice lives in California.

Reviews

[J. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Back in the day, in 7th grade that is, I was in English class. A regular English class, not honors, or advanced or anything like that. It felt like prison. As a matter of fact I remember thinking exactly that. My most vivid memory of that 5th period 42 minute educational session was that I was deathly terrified of my teacher, and did anything to prevent her from yelling at the class, which she did quite often. She was middle aged, and clearly bored with her job. She was too scary to be an elementary school teacher, and probably not good enough for High School, so she was stuck teaching us. She was a smoker, and had an awful raspy voice and her yelling made my whole body shudder and cringe. I was afraid of raising my hand in fear of a wrong answer, and afraid of not raising my hand for fear of non-participation. In 7th grade I still believed there was a template for writing essays, and that a letter had to have five paragraphs with topic sentences. I executed these requirements to a T because I was afraid getting anything lower than a B- would get her yelling. I once used the word "glum" in an essay, and she was impressed. That made me breath easier. I remember sitting there, in the second row, staring out of the 2nd floor window and waiting for the church bell across the street to strike noon because that would mean I only had another 20 minutes to suffer.

This book will be forever associated with that class, but that is not why I hate it. I remember sitting and finishing it in Band Class and wondering why in the world I was reading it, and what in the world it meant. The characters, the events, the setting, nothing seemed to fit. Perhaps I was supposed to identify with Slake's own sense of entrapment at school and at home, and with his angst and social anxiety, but I just could not. His character seemed completely irrational, and I could not understand why no one in the state of New York could not get him a pair of glasses.It was books like these, that made me forever shy away from anything with a YA label.

I have since then moved on with my life, past five paragraph essays, but I still have no idea what this book is about, and what moral my adolescent brain was supposed to gain from it. I suppose with better instruction it would have made more sense, but as it was, it confused everyone in or grade. I am supposed to finish my B.A. in a few months, and I still do not know what the book was trying to say. Perhaps I should go back to middle school and ask the teacher with the raspy voice why she made us read it.

[Laura Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This title should have won the Newbery. Along so with so many other older, remarkable titles I consider classics, Slake's Limbo appears to be going out of print. I wasn't even able to order one at any of the chain stores. Hopefully it will be reprinted with fresh cover art and introduced to a new generation of readers. The imagery, details and writing are remarkable.

[Lily Vagabond · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe I forgot to add this one. Slake's Limbo, in my honest opinion, is a prime example of how YA literature can be incredibly interesting and thought-prokoving, without any patronizing nonsense. I first read this book when I was 12, and I still re-read it every so often. This one is a timeless tale.

Slake's Limbo is a fascinating story about a young boy who escapes the hardships of his life by hiding in an underground subway tunnel. With a strong sense of preservation and an intense imagination, Slake carves out a real life for himself in the underground, and yet he's only eleven years old. He has friends down there, a sense of family and belonging, and even gets himself two jobs. Slake is a survivor, in every sense of the word.

A beautifully written account of how complete strangers can have such a strong impact on each other's lives, even if their lives only touch for a moment.

[Ray Cavanaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the one book from grade school which I recall fondly.

Abused and impoverished, Slake’s life pretty much blows. So he goes underground, into the tunnels of the NYC subway system.

There he hawks secondhand newspapers, befriends a hungry rodent, and finds a few benefactors.

This kid’s book is well-written by any standard; it is also profound in its portrayal of human kindness and misery.

[Tristen Wieters]

PERSONAL RESPONSE: I like Slake’s Limbo because it has an interesting plotline and a lot of action. I also like this book because Slake has a lot of problems and bad events in his life that eventually get fixed and get better. I wonder why Slake did not seek help sooner because he had forms of help all around him at times.

PLOT: At the beginning of the book, Slake lives with his Aunt who does not feed him and makes fun of him. In the middle of the book, Slake runs away from his Aunt and some bullies and runs into the subway where he stays for 121 days. At the end of the book, Slake gets sick and has to go to the hospital to recover after a subway conductor finds him unconscious on the track.


CHARACTERIZATION: Slake starts out the book as a hated and bullied thirteen-year-old boy. He winds up running away from the bullies and into the New York subway system. Slake gets to be a loner here and the only other being he has to keep track of is a rat that comes to visit daily. He has to go to the hospital at the end of the book because he is sick but he recovers and decides to continue his life above ground.
Willis Joe is a subway train conductor whose story parallels Slake’s. He refers to his passengers as sheep and does not like the repetitiveness of his job. Willis winds up being Slake’s saving grace because he takes Slake off of the train track and to the hospital.

SETTING: The setting of the book takes place in the New York City subway system. The subway is where Slake goes to get away from the rest of the world and then he lives in a subway tunnel cave for 121 days. A subway train conductor is also the one who finds Slake unconscious on the tracks and saves his life.

THEMATIC CONNECTION: The theme of this book is the hostility of the world because Slake is bullied and has no one to take care of him. Another theme in the book is isolation because Slake lives alone in the subway cave for 121 days.

RECOMMENDATION: I recommend this book to any male or female because both genders can relate to the bullying that Slake endures. I recommend this book to anyone who is ten or older so they can fully understand the words and phrases in this book.

[nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book was a joke. i was hoping he would get hit by a subway car while living there, but it was only a fond dream.

[Maximilian Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kind of liked this book because I think it was very suspenseful, but was kind of weirdly worded. It was suspenseful because it had lots of suspenseful moments, for example, when Slake took someone's coffee.

[Fouli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to say that it was a very sweet little story and I'm happy I read it. Sure, it was not the best book I have read, but it was definitely very sweet and heartwarming. It follows the story of Slake, a young boy who is left with nothing and nobody in the world and struggles to survive using whatever resources he has. He stays in the subway and tries to find ways to earn money or food and in the meantime he meets new people and learns new things about the world and about himself. He gets a routine in his life, until one day things take an unexpected turn and he has to figure out what he should do next.

The book gave me all kinds of feelings for Slake - sorrow for his misfortune in life, fear for his fate and his blurry future, hope when something good happened to him and even happiness for his rat friend. I also felt for the driver and for his having to give up on his dreams to face the hard reality, only to later come to the point of realizing the importance of what he had and appreciating his life. The ending was optimistic and hopeful and left me wanting to know more about what happened next. Overall, it was an enjoyable quick read.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book back when I was about in second grade (it's probably not a good book for 8 year-olds, but somehow I obtained it). For well over a decade now, the bird imagery & the subway & other assorted aspects of the plot have been haunting me: after reading the book, I couldn't find it again and described it to many people, none of whom could tell me what book it was, though I did get a "sounds familiar" from a brother. FINALLY, this year, my bestest best friend (who is so totally awesome and is totally not forcing me to write this at all, really) came across a description of this book & found it matched the vague description of the story that was haunting me... Well, I finally read it and this is definitely the book.

So.

There are bullies and there is running and there are strangers and there is the subway and there is an accidental job and there is pity and there is survival and there is, of course, that bird.
It's won a bunch of awards and if you don't think enough of them that you're going to read it, I can't see what my review will do for you.

This book haunted me for years and years. Re-reading it & looking back, it definitely shaped my life in ways I never really realized... or, at least, I'm sure I could have related to this book when I was 10 or 14 or 17. Read it, if you'd like, or not, if you'd like. I recommend it as a well written book, just keep in mind that it has a young adult audience.

...And try to look past the cover art, whatever version you might have.

----------

2025 update after re-read: still great

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tend to read books with similar themes or concepts in close conjunction with one another, usually quite by accident. Last week I read The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore and this morning I read Zoo, both which highlight humankind's arrogance and abuse of beasts. Last night I read Smithand today I read this book, both which feature young urchins of noble character surviving the streets of big cities.

With its theme of survival, and a similar reading level, I'd like to see this taught together with Hatchet, already a staple in many grade 5 classrooms.

I love the insights in this. A woman warns Slake of the scary bad guys on the subway, and Slake wonders Were these not the very same people... who walked on the street above?"

Upon thinking some more, I realize that *all* the books I mention here have a certain theme in common. All make us think about what it means to be one's self when one is on one's own, vs what it means to one's self when in company of, and accountable to, others

[Jia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slake's Limbo 4/19/09

By Felice Holman
117pp New York, NY
Aladdin Paperbacks
ISBN: 0-689-71066-6

Have you ever spent one night at the subway without going home? Slake did and he lives in a room under ground in the subway station. Slake was a boy who collects used newspapers and makes a living selling them. Slake had to deal with a lot tough situations by himself and it was not an normal teenager boy would face.

Slake was an homeless boy who was able to take care of himself at a young age. Even though Slake was able to go to school, he was constantly bullied, so he decided to hide inside the subway station.

What happened to Slake's parents? How did he overcome circumstances alone? Read the book and find out more about slake. I recommend this book to anyone that likes books that deals with an adventure.

[Berkeley Poder · Rating 5 out of 5]

121 days spent in a cave at a subway station.
Slake's whole life has been a challenge.Being chased and even getting waken up by your aunt when she slaps you,that's Slake's whole life.But when he discovered a cave in a subway station,his whole life had change at that very moment.
Most people would not choose to spent 121 days in a cave,but for Slake it was a sign of freedom for the first time in his life. So young, but smart.
But something terrible happens to Slake and his cave.

Will this be end of Slake's freedom and life or will every thing turn out to be fine?

Read the book to find out.

[T · Rating 1 out of 5]

slow, barely anythig to think about, seems like a waste of a book to put on a school reading list. Too juvenile for jr high. not enough moral, although there is some possible discussion, butnot enough to justify it. completely clean.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written snapshot of a homeless child living in the subway system. It demands a prequel and a sequel to make sense of how he got there and where he is going. But maybe that didn’t matter at the time of publication - 1974.

[Taylor Mayes · Rating 1 out of 5]

i had to read it for school.

[Uri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un dels primers llibres que vaig llegir a la vida.
One of the first books I ever read.
Oni de la unuaj libroj ol mi legis.

[Jack Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A childhood favorite of mine, SLAKE'S LIMBO lacks the mind-blowing punch I experienced in my youth, but re-reading as an adult, I still find it a very solidly constructed, subtle, literary exploration of the self-confidence that comes from being empowered to make your own decisions.

In 1974, 13-year-old Aremis Slake escapes a life of abuse by running away to, and fashioning a life for himself within, the New York City subway system. The small interactions Slake has with the people around him and the small choices he realizes that he can now make about how he spends his time gradually build his self-confidence and his hope for the future. A story of survival and resiliency, SLAKE'S LIMBO is a quiet book that vividly explores a powerful fantasy that many kids have--running away and making it on your own--to great emotional affect. Slake's reactions are realistic, as is his reticence and his social anxiety, and readers will root for his vulnerable human character. His transformation by the end of the book is both measured enough to be believable but significant enough to be noticeable and empowering.

The syntax, word choice, and overall level of writing in the book is a little beyond what the target audience (11- to 13-year-olds, I think) would typically encounter, but it makes for no less of a story for all that. Perhaps it only serves as a meta-level reinforcement that Slake's world is adult and unfamiliar. The themes are layered and subtle (e.g. at the start of the book, Slake needs glasses but they keep being broken and stolen from him; in the middle, he fashions a pair for himself out of discarded parts; by the end, he has a correct prescription, an arc that parallels his increasing confidence in navigating the world around him). The one literary element I didn't care for was the internal arc of a second, minor point of view character, which doesn't resolve in a way that makes a lot of sense for me, but after some discussion with another reader I think I know what the author was trying to go for. (Not that I think the author managed it. But I think I probably understand the intent a little better.)

Even though it was written decades ago and selling physical newspapers (which is integral to the book's plot) is far more anachronistic now, I think modern readers would still connect to this book, thanks to its rock-solid emotional core and Slake's realism. I'm sure I myself will enjoy many more re-reads.

[JJJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have what I call my "short section" - a grouping of books on my shelves that I will never part with, that I know I will never part with, that I see myself as an old woman peering at and removing for yet another re-read.

Slake's Limbo is in this section. I have a beautiful old beat-up paperback copy that I first found in either a school library discard box or perhaps purchased for the requisite dime at a library sale.

This tale is wrought with a spare voice that nonetheless sings, clear as a morning bell, and the prose is descriptive and lightly solid, like the main character's own existence.

Slake takes his hero's journey and the reader takes it with him. There are deeply satisfying parts of this book as we see how simple actions and kindnesses are pieces of the boy's journey that are working to effect his changes even as he is not always aware of them.

SPOILER ALERT, this paragraph only -The scene where he makes his own art for one of the holiest Christmases in literature moved me as one of the best scenes in all of fiction. Is that just me? Perhaps. But if you are a person who this resonates with, it will STAY with you.

I consider this book a shining jewel. It may not resonate with everyone (that's what human variety is for :) ). But if you are looking for a story about the journey of one human spirit, this seemingly spare and shiningly exquisite story is worth every moment. I re-read it about once every two years. This is my first review on goodreads.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bullied all his life by family and friends, Aremis Slake flees to the subway and makes a new home in a room in a tunnel, making a new and better life for himself.
Weaving through Slake's story is the story of Willis Joe Whinny, a train driver, whose dream of being a sheep herder morphs into imagining himself leading flocks of sheep-like commuting New Yorkers but is saved from breaking down when he rescues a broken Slake. Just as good this time as it was when I used to read it aloud for its excellent "survival" theme. (Pair with The Prince of Central Park.) This time I admired the way Slake not only saves himself but someone else. The survival details and the descriptions of his art were terrific.

[Marleah (marleah_a) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally read this when I was probably 8 or 9, and in my memory, it was a story of a boy surviving in a post-apocalyptic world. Makes a sort of sense, given that I lived in a rural area of Kansas and could hardly fathom the idea of a massive city with a subway and pervasive homelessness. This book is sparsely written, almost terse in parts, and follows Slake as he learns about life and humanity in a place where one might least expect it. I was touched by how many good people took an interest in Slake, a boy they saw only in passing as they bought secondhand newspapers.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I happened to be referred to this as something that was standard high-school curriculum, and I wondered about it in terms of what is being taught now. All in all its a pretty bleak story. Sure it evolves to show quite a bit of human kindness, but I'm stuck on what a dark world Slake was part of which caused him to go down into the subway to hide.

Take away -
Even the worst situation is what you make of it.
Humans can adapt to anything, that is our super-power.

[peyton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book in May of 2022, and I really disliked this book. it's not that it was bad, it was a perfectly fine book, but I wouldn't read this book if I didn't have to read it for class. this book didn't make sense to me at all, and it didn't even end satisfyingly. the book didn't have a point to it, and I didn't learn one thing from the book. it was actually pretty sad, and I had sympathy for the main character, but it just got repetitive and really boring.

[sae · Rating 4 out of 5]

| a short classic about a teenager named aremis slake who was always perceived as "the other one", "the unnoticed","the forgotten" and how he felt tired of that life and decided to run away somewhere to find solace..ending up in a subway station cave or broken hole along the side tracks of the traintracks staying in there for 121 days doing anything just to get by |


#uplifting #classic #shortbook #inspiring

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

ho letto il testo nella traduzione francese (non mi risulta sia tradotto in italiano, ma forse i lettori possono aiutarmi). non conoscevo testo né autrice, li uo incontrati in un saggio di Chambers. il testo mi è piaciuto davvero tanto. lo trovo attuale e credo lo userò in classe. vorrei vedere lo sceneggiato che ne è stato tratto.

[Maja · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book I had to read for school. Right after finnishing it, it felt to me sort of pointless, but discussing it in class really made a huge difference. I am now astonished by the thought the author put into this, creating metaphors and symbol's

[Jay]

I read this in 6th grade, but I sometimes feel like I relate to it now - going to work during the day and going unnoticed, then hiding out at my place at night. It was an interesting story of surviving in the subway and finding creative ways to make-do with keeping busy and finding food.

[Bella Starr · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
I only picked this up for a competition. Honestly, I kind of thought it was a kind of stupid topic and I just didn't really like it that much. I did like it a little, but I'm just kind of glad it was short and now it's over.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read "Slake's Limbo" with my 10 year old. The story was very touching and very relevant to the times we live in now, even though it was written in the 70s. The story will capture any reader. I think it is especially a good book for tweens to early teens.

[Jason Das · Rating 1 out of 5]

had to read this in 7th grade and it was dumb

[Hailey PS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick little read while subbing in Reading skills class today