The boy from Nowhere: African American Fiction

by Elayne Hayes

What could go wrong in a small town?

Sixteen-year-old Rich's world shatters when his mother’s overdose forces him to leave the city and move in with his grandmother in the small town of Halford.
Struggling to adjust, Rich quickly clashes with the local football team, which leads to a violent altercation that gets him expelled from school.

Just when things seem hopeless, he finds an unlikely mentor in Scooter, a tough, cigar-smoking mechanic who offers him a job and a chance to start over. However, Rich's desire for acceptance leads him down a dangerous path of violence and drugs when he hooks up with a group of local outcast teens.

As he spirals deeper into trouble, Rich realizes that there is more to Halford than he ever imagined. If he wants to make it out, he's going to have to learn how to break a vicious cycle.

249 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 21, 2024

Reviews

[Donttouchmypoodle✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story but the typos, missing/incorrect punctuation and misspelled words/names (of the MC!!) were unforgivable. They were so numerous that it was distracting and completely took away from the moving story. There were typos on almost every page! It’s a shame because this book has the potential to be a 5 star book. I won’t read the next book in this series for this reason.

[DeLicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75. FLEW through this book. Absolutely loved it. It had me so invested. There are a number of typos or formatting errors that made it challenging sometimes but if you look past that, you will truly enjoy the story!

[Kendra Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story

For the kids that grew up feeling invisible... I was one of those kids and at times I still feel like no one sees me. Reading this book was so relatable on so many levels, it was almost therapeutic. So often, life can be so dark and arduous that we forget that hope can exist. Rich's story is the same. After many blows life threw at him, he didn't let it pull him under. He had some support but more obstacles than not. This was a great read.

[Teressa E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life Changing

This book had me on the edge of my seat throughout. It is filled with struggles, broken dreams, triumphs, perseverence, and so much more. It has Life lessons that would benefit youth and people of all ages. More, more, more. Bravo!

[Renee Seavers · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Boy From Nowhere

The story line holds your interest. Rich had a lot of questions that weren't answered. Some were answered near the end others were left hanging. Overall I enjoyed the book.

[Janya P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it is a great coming of age story for young men. A few mistakes here and there that took me out of the story. Also some of the dialogue you can tell was written by an older person. But all in all a solid read.

[Judys Book Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has so much depth thoroughly enjoyed!
Would have been a 5⭐ read if it wasnt for the typos. Excited to read the girl from nowhere now!

[DJano Gaines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read!

This is a good book. I gave it four stars because I felt like I was missing some contents. The ending was great and all in all it sends a message of hope and dreams!

[Lexi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a nice story of a young man’s battle between “right” and “wrong”. It explore the complex reasons behind why bad people may do bad things and how you can’t judge everyone off face value as you never know what’s going on behind closed doors.

[Chapter Chirp (Jessica)]

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this story which follows a blip in the life of sixteen year old Rich, a city boy who moves back to a small town following an unfortunate incident involving his mother. This story was moving and it really captured the essence of what the teenage years can be like. Add on top of that, being a young Black man who is surrounded by a chaotic environment and it makes life even that more heavy. There were some minor issues through the book that could be improved with another swift round of proofreading, but I don’t think it affected the overall impact of the story. This felt like a good book for any teenager or young adult because it had some powerful life messages throughout, would recommend.

[Dionna A · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a quick read. I enjoyed it. I want to read the rest of the series. Highly recommend for teens and young adults. Good book!