Tomboy

by Hal Ellson, James Bama (Illustrator)

A Grave Challenge

"Some readers may feel that the author could have presented his case more persuasively by replacing some of the sensationalism with constructive scenes, but Mr. Ellson seems deliberately to have avoided this method. He takes the whole shocking and brutal story and flings it down as a challenge. There can be no argument, at any rate, as to whom it may concern. It concerns us all."
-'The Christian Science Monitor

Genres: Fiction, Pulp

Paperback

First published January 1, 1950

Reviews

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book for .25 cents in a Salvation Army when I was somewhere between eleven and thirteen and despite the fact that at first glance it looks like it's going to be nothing more than a forgettable trash novel from a bygone era, it really stuck with me. I no longer remember all the details, but still to this day I'll find myself randomly thinking of this book.
Now, don't get me wrong, I am never possessed by a sudden desire to reread it or anything, but it really goes to show that the old cliche "never judge a book by its cover" is true.
I can't really say if this book is truly good or if it just seems to stay with people the way it does because most people seem to find and read it when they're so young.
It earns its three stars and is a strange little piece of pulp history.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is very well written book, and I find the characters authentic, and believable. Hal Ellson's books come out of his work with juvenile delinquents, which would account for their ring of truth. I was drawn into this one due to the James Bama cover, not having any prior experience with this sub-genre of the '50's, though I have a few by Harlan Ellison from this period on my to-read pile.

This is a short book, 150 pages, but it draws its characters well, and gives an amazing sense of place, and time.

[Trent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very impressed with this one.

[Tricia Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was thirteen I devoured this book. I would love to read it again. Not sure where to find it, but I loved it. It had all the forbidden things in it. Smoking, drinking, gangs.

[Carolyn Pullman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this when I was 15. The same age as the main character. It was gritty and intense.

[Noelle Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Whatever, you were told a lie and I can prove it. I know who told you. That bitch-squeak Tomboy!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a fiction book.

This book follows a group of young adults through a hot summer. They are part of a gang called the Harps. There’s a lot of drama between them and opposing gangs in the city. The main character goes by the name of Tomboy, who obviously is a girl. Shes different than the “Deb’s” the other girls who hang around for the guys in the gang. The Deb’s basically get hurt and raped buy the guys in the gang.

This book was from the 70s, so it’s got dated references. It sort of lacked plot. You really just follow the gang around. You see the trouble they get into, family dynamics and the hurt they cause both emotionally and physically.

This was an ok read, and the term Bitch-squeak made me laugh out loud.

[Kevin McAvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book many years ago around 1970.
I thought then it was a good book and remembered it all this time till 2023 when I saw it at a used book sale. So I just read it again over a few days. Just 164 pages.
I still rate this as a really good book that puts you in Brooklyn, NY as a teenager in the 1940s or 50s.
The book was written in 1950.
I liked the crimes the gang (The Harps) got up to and the rooftop hang-outs.

[Shirley Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read while at school and then created a spoof that I had written it. My English teacher played along which was decent of her. I think most were taken in even though it was rather proposterous. I thought it a cracking book at age 13 or so and think most teenagers would enjoy it.

[Chris Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

White ghetto kids,
being jerks,
racist,
thieves and thugs.

[Rasma Haidri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might just be the first book I ever read. I was probably 8, because it was during a summer in NYC, and because it was about kids in a gang in NYC it felt very close to home and disturbing. I remember having the distinct thought, when someone extinguished a cigarette on the girl's chest, that I was too young to be reading this. It sent me spinning with no where to land. That said, it was a fantastic read for all its lasting value, and I wish I could find a copy now to reread.

[Selena Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom had read this when she was in High School and then made me read it 15 years later when I was in high school. I can't seem to find it published anymore but it's one of the most moving books I have ever read.

[Wez Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a youngster and remember being totally shocked at the incidents portrayed. On reading again as an adult I'm overcome by a sense of sadness and frustration throughout all the characters lives. Powerful reading.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strangely profound story of a teenage girl coming of age in a 1950's New York City street gang. Published as a pulp novel, it is a sad and well written slip of a book that had a big impact on me.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always remembered this book since I was 13 making a hugh impact on my life. I've never forgotten this book. Just an amazing story that really left an imprint on my heart.

[Krystal Leon]

i can dig it.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would like to find a copy of this. Maybe I'll check on just how to do that.

[Amy Yancy]

what can I say takes you back to a different time, where girls had to be tough like guys to survive and she does it with sensitivity and heart.