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Dope Sick
The itch starts when things get too heavy for Lil J. Skin popping or stealing pain pills from his mom help him relax. But Lil J's focus is wandering because money is short, and his man Rico knows a way to make some quick cash. It's supposed to be an easy deal, but it isn't so simple when the buyer is an undercover cop. With a gunshot wound to the arm, Rico in jail, and a police officer clinging to life, Lil J is starting to get dope sick. He'd do anything to change the last twenty-four hours, and when he stumbles into an abandoned crack house, it actually might be possible. . . . Walter Dean Myers weaves elements of magical realism into a harrowing story about drug use, violence, alternate perceptions of reality, and second chances.
192 pages, Library Binding
First published February 29, 2000
169 people are currently reading
2962 people want to read
About the author
Walter Dean Myers
232 books1,182 followerspseudonyms:
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson
Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.
After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empire State College. He wrote full time after 1977.
Walter wrote from childhood, first finding success in 1969 when he won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest, which resulted in the publication of his first book for children, Where Does the Day Go?, by Parent's Magazine Press. He published over seventy books for children and young adults. He received many awards for his work in this field including the Coretta Scott King Award, five times. Two of his books were awarded Newbery Honors. He was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award and the Virginia Hamilton Award. For one of his books, Monster, he received the first Michael Printz Award for Young Adult literature awarded by the American Library Association. Monster and Autobiography of My Dead Brother were selected as National Book Award Finalists.
In addition to the publication of his books, Walter contributed to educational and literary publications. He visited schools to speak to children, teachers, librarians, and parents. For three years he led a writing workshop for children in a school in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Walter Dean Myers was married, had three grown children and lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. He died on July 1, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 76 years old.
Stacie Williams
Stacie Johnson
Walter Dean Myers was born on August 12, 1937 in Martinsburg, West Virginia but moved to Harlem with his foster parents at age three. He was brought up and went to public school there. He attended Stuyvesant High School until the age of seventeen when he joined the army.
After serving four years in the army, he worked at various jobs and earned a BA from Empire State College. He wrote full time after 1977.
Walter wrote from childhood, first finding success in 1969 when he won the Council on Interracial Books for Children contest, which resulted in the publication of his first book for children, Where Does the Day Go?, by Parent's Magazine Press. He published over seventy books for children and young adults. He received many awards for his work in this field including the Coretta Scott King Award, five times. Two of his books were awarded Newbery Honors. He was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award and the Virginia Hamilton Award. For one of his books, Monster, he received the first Michael Printz Award for Young Adult literature awarded by the American Library Association. Monster and Autobiography of My Dead Brother were selected as National Book Award Finalists.
In addition to the publication of his books, Walter contributed to educational and literary publications. He visited schools to speak to children, teachers, librarians, and parents. For three years he led a writing workshop for children in a school in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Walter Dean Myers was married, had three grown children and lived in Jersey City, New Jersey. He died on July 1, 2014, following a brief illness. He was 76 years old.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 347 reviews
February 20, 2022
This was quite different than what I was expecting and it turned out to be such an interesting read. The story on its own is both incredibly moving and heartbreaking. When you add in the little touch of magical realism it really takes the story to the next level and makes it great. It just added this beautiful aspect to the story and really stole my breath. My only minor complaint is that our main character was missing something for me, that little spark to truly make me fall for him. That aside this is still remains a beautiful yet harrowing story of Black youth and life that everyone should read.
April 9, 2020
"I know I'm tired of thinking about what I should have done yesterday. I know I'm just tired. If I knew what to do with my life, how to fix it up, I would have done it a long time ago. You can't dig that? You think I want to live like I'm somebody's throwaway?"
—Lil J, Dope Sick, P. 46
If I said that Dope Sick is primarily a conversation (albeit an intense one) between two guys from the inner city holed up in a tiny abandoned apartment, one of the guys having been shot in the arm by an undercover cop in a drug bust gone terribly wrong, you might not be interested in reading it. The book is much more than just that, though.
Lil J is a kid from the street whose life had so many other ways it could have gone, instead of drug dealing and dropping out of school and getting shot to pieces because of a botched sting operation. There wasn't a single glaring time in Lil J's life that went awry; it was a series of connected and unconnected points at which he made the wrong choice or the wrong choice was made by those around him, and it all adds up to the undeniable truth of his current situation: he has been accused of shooting—in cold blood, no less—an officer of the law, a guy who just might die at any moment and leave the specter of the death penalty haunting over Lil J's shoulder. Furthermore, as Lil J fled the scene at which the action went down he was winged by the undercover officer's backup guy, and the health of his shot arm is now deteriorating quickly.
The thing is, Lil J didn't shoot the cop at all. He was involved in the drug deal as it was happening, but it was his partner Rico who did the shooting, hopped up on drugs that clouded his judgement. Rico has been apprehended by the authorities but he's talking, and not much of what he says seems to jibe with the truth of Lil J's being innocent of the shooting.
Lil J finds a temporary oasis in an abandoned apartment, where he meets a street guy known only as Kelly. There's something different about Kelly, though. He seems to know everything about Lil J, and he can play and replay events from Lil J's past (or potential futures) on the small television up there with the two of them in the apartment. Lil J sees what his leaving the apartment now will lead to, with cops all over the place eager to avenge the shooting of an officer, and it doesn't end well for Lil J. What about this guy Kelly, though? Could he really wield the power to offer Lil J a second chance at life?
The strength of this book is in the vivid picture it paints of the life of a desperate teenager who has somehow made a mess of his life, never wanting to choose the wrong path but somehow, over time, losing hope that any right path exists out there for him. The insight that Walter Dean Myers has into the scene is profound, and should instigate a lot of sober thought among readers. In many ways, Lil J speaks eloquently on behalf of everyone who feels as if they have slipped through the cracks of society and been given a raw deal in life, who feel as if the world has just about forced them into the kinds of negative choices that they can never take back.
I really like this book, and I'd give it two and a half stars.
—Lil J, Dope Sick, P. 46
If I said that Dope Sick is primarily a conversation (albeit an intense one) between two guys from the inner city holed up in a tiny abandoned apartment, one of the guys having been shot in the arm by an undercover cop in a drug bust gone terribly wrong, you might not be interested in reading it. The book is much more than just that, though.
Lil J is a kid from the street whose life had so many other ways it could have gone, instead of drug dealing and dropping out of school and getting shot to pieces because of a botched sting operation. There wasn't a single glaring time in Lil J's life that went awry; it was a series of connected and unconnected points at which he made the wrong choice or the wrong choice was made by those around him, and it all adds up to the undeniable truth of his current situation: he has been accused of shooting—in cold blood, no less—an officer of the law, a guy who just might die at any moment and leave the specter of the death penalty haunting over Lil J's shoulder. Furthermore, as Lil J fled the scene at which the action went down he was winged by the undercover officer's backup guy, and the health of his shot arm is now deteriorating quickly.
The thing is, Lil J didn't shoot the cop at all. He was involved in the drug deal as it was happening, but it was his partner Rico who did the shooting, hopped up on drugs that clouded his judgement. Rico has been apprehended by the authorities but he's talking, and not much of what he says seems to jibe with the truth of Lil J's being innocent of the shooting.
Lil J finds a temporary oasis in an abandoned apartment, where he meets a street guy known only as Kelly. There's something different about Kelly, though. He seems to know everything about Lil J, and he can play and replay events from Lil J's past (or potential futures) on the small television up there with the two of them in the apartment. Lil J sees what his leaving the apartment now will lead to, with cops all over the place eager to avenge the shooting of an officer, and it doesn't end well for Lil J. What about this guy Kelly, though? Could he really wield the power to offer Lil J a second chance at life?
The strength of this book is in the vivid picture it paints of the life of a desperate teenager who has somehow made a mess of his life, never wanting to choose the wrong path but somehow, over time, losing hope that any right path exists out there for him. The insight that Walter Dean Myers has into the scene is profound, and should instigate a lot of sober thought among readers. In many ways, Lil J speaks eloquently on behalf of everyone who feels as if they have slipped through the cracks of society and been given a raw deal in life, who feel as if the world has just about forced them into the kinds of negative choices that they can never take back.
I really like this book, and I'd give it two and a half stars.
September 12, 2018
Wow, double Wow. Amazing book. It puts you directly inside the head of a poor, black, teenaged drug addict who is running from the police. His life hangs in a precarious balance and the reader hangs there with him. A paranormal element makes things even more interesting.
May 4, 2025
Read this book in class with my students. It’s a very heavy-handed anti-drug message and at times feels like a sermon. This is probably what the author was going for and I acknowledge that I am not part of the target audience. It felt very A Christmas Carol-esque, and my hot take is that A Christmas Carol sucks as a story.
November 15, 2019
Street life on DVR. After a botched drug deal leaves a cop fighting for his life, Jeremy Dance knows that’s he made some bad decisions. Seeking refuge in an abandoned building, Jeremy runs into Kelly, a mysterious man who has a remote control that allows Jeremy to review his life and change one critical decision. Together they view key moments and discuss what Jeremy did or did not do to end up where he is now. Lil J’s blend of street bravado and uncertainty never really comes through effectively, leaving readers with a whining narrator. The supporting characters have vivid page presence, however, in stark contrast to the main character’s dull personality. The disjuncture between Jeremy’s language when he is reminiscing about his untroubled home situations and his discussion of street life does show genuine character development, but it is not enough to compensate for the thin premise. An ambiguous ending coupled with the fantastical slant further diminish the message.
May 20, 2017
Short, quick read. Heartbreaking, yet realistic, story with a less realistic, but impactful, twist. Creativity done.
July 27, 2013
28 February 2009 DOPE SICK by Walter Dean Myers, Harper Teen, February 2009, 186p., ISBN: 978-0-06-151477-6; Libr. ISBN: 978-0-06-121478-3
"'But why do spirits walk the earth, and why do they come to me?'
"'It is required of every man,' the Ghost returned, 'that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death. It is doomed to wander through the world -- oh, woe is me! -- and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!'
"Again the spectre raised a cry, and shook its chain and wrung its shadowy hands.
"'You are fettered,' said Scrooge, trembling. 'Tell me why?'
"'I wear the chain I forged in life,' replied the Ghost. 'I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its pattern strange to you?'" -- A CHRISTMAS CAROL
A CHRISTMAS CAROL IN PROSE, BEING A GHOST STORY OF CHRISTMAS is a tale of social injustice and poverty, written by Charles Dickens who was forced to go to work at the age of twelve when his father was sent to debtors' prison. In A CHRISTMAS CAROL, set on Christmas Eve in Scrooge's joyless house, Marley's Ghost holds a metaphorical mirror up to Scrooge, a man who has come to care for nothing but accumulating money. Gaining self-knowledge from the experience and perceiving what is to become his own wretched fate, Scrooge comes to understand that he has the power to change himself and alter that fate. Thanks to epiphany, change, and redemption, Scrooge's own future is brighter and -- like ripples moving outward in ever-widening circles -- things will be better for everyone around him.
"Kelly talked street, but I wasn't sure. Something about him wasn't from the 'hood. I wanted to go over to him and put the Nine against his neck, but for some reason I didn't think it was going to bother him. The sucker might have been crazy.
"'You know a way out?' I asked.
"'Why don't you cop a squat and check yourself out on the tube,' Kelly said. He was looking at the television.
"I looked at the television and saw the street below. It looked empty.
"'You got the television hooked up to security cameras?' I asked. "'No.' "'Then how come...?' On the television there was a figure moving across the street wearing a dark jacket. He had one hand up by his side and the other in his jacket pocket. It was me.
"'What is this, a movie or something?'
"'Yeah. I guess it's a movie. What part you want to see next?'"
DOPE SICK is also a story of social injustice and poverty, written by Walter Dean Myers who has again broken new ground in his celebrated, decades-long writing career. Myers' writings for teens have frequently focused on the poorest people and neighborhoods of the world's richest city, and DOPE SICK takes place in the bleakest of Harlem settings -- a reeking, abandoned building that has apparently been utilized as a place for drug addicts to temporarily duck into.
Lil J and his buddy Rico had been in the process of earning some quick money from a local dealer by conveying heroin to a white guy in the park. The buyer turns out to be an undercover cop and, in the ensuing chaos, the cop is shot and Rico is busted. Lil J, having been badly shot in the arm, narrowly escapes into the darkened building. He busts into the room where, inexplicably, a young guy named Kelly is set up with a comfortable chair and the television which is going to provide Lil J a long look at his past, his present, and his future.
Lil J is not especially forthcoming as to what is really going on in his life, and so we are repeatedly startled by what Kelly and his television help reveal:
"'I think I'm pregnant,' she said. "'What?' "'That wasn't the right answer,' she said."
"We know that more than half of all black children live in single-parent households, a number that has doubled — doubled — since we were children. We know the statistics — that children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of schools and 20 times more likely to end up in prison. They are more likely to have behavioral problems, or run away from home or become teenage parents themselves. And the foundations of our community are weaker because of it." -- Barack Obama, Father's Day sermon, 6/15/08.
Consistent with what President-Elect Obama was preaching about, one facet of Lil J that is revealed is that this seventeen year-old son of an absent father has, himself, become a father. Another is that he is a high school dropout. As he tells Kelly, "All you got to do is walk around and see what everybody who looks like you and living around where you living is doing and seeing they just like you and they ain't going nowhere."
The tension in Kelly's room builds as the hours tick away with the wounded, gun-wielding Lil J coming face to face with his own horrifying fate while the police remain just steps from the building, scouring the neighborhood in search of him.
Just as A CHRISTMAS CAROL was Dickens' visceral reaction to his own experiences and to what he saw happening around him, Walter Dean Myers has written an intense, brilliant, and timely piece of Twenty-first century social commentary that graphically illuminates a cycle of poverty and addiction and fatherlessness that must be addressed by the incoming administration and -- as President Elect Obama has said -- by Americans taking responsibility for their own behavior. (And by reading to their children).
On top of all that, DOPE SICK is one heck of a guy read. Hopefully there will be inspired teachers who have the guts to use this powerful piece of YA literature in the classroom. It would be really wonderful to track down some males in the community to come in and model guy reading behavior by reading this aloud to students. Hopefully, as with A CHRISTMAS CAROL, DOPE SICK will serve to enlighten those who are ignorant of what is going on in far too many of our communities.
"'This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. Deny it!' cried the Spirit, stretching out its hand towards the city. 'Slander those who tell it ye. Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse. And abide the end.'"
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
"'But why do spirits walk the earth, and why do they come to me?'
"'It is required of every man,' the Ghost returned, 'that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death. It is doomed to wander through the world -- oh, woe is me! -- and witness what it cannot share, but might have shared on earth, and turned to happiness!'
"Again the spectre raised a cry, and shook its chain and wrung its shadowy hands.
"'You are fettered,' said Scrooge, trembling. 'Tell me why?'
"'I wear the chain I forged in life,' replied the Ghost. 'I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its pattern strange to you?'" -- A CHRISTMAS CAROL
A CHRISTMAS CAROL IN PROSE, BEING A GHOST STORY OF CHRISTMAS is a tale of social injustice and poverty, written by Charles Dickens who was forced to go to work at the age of twelve when his father was sent to debtors' prison. In A CHRISTMAS CAROL, set on Christmas Eve in Scrooge's joyless house, Marley's Ghost holds a metaphorical mirror up to Scrooge, a man who has come to care for nothing but accumulating money. Gaining self-knowledge from the experience and perceiving what is to become his own wretched fate, Scrooge comes to understand that he has the power to change himself and alter that fate. Thanks to epiphany, change, and redemption, Scrooge's own future is brighter and -- like ripples moving outward in ever-widening circles -- things will be better for everyone around him.
"Kelly talked street, but I wasn't sure. Something about him wasn't from the 'hood. I wanted to go over to him and put the Nine against his neck, but for some reason I didn't think it was going to bother him. The sucker might have been crazy.
"'You know a way out?' I asked.
"'Why don't you cop a squat and check yourself out on the tube,' Kelly said. He was looking at the television.
"I looked at the television and saw the street below. It looked empty.
"'You got the television hooked up to security cameras?' I asked. "'No.' "'Then how come...?' On the television there was a figure moving across the street wearing a dark jacket. He had one hand up by his side and the other in his jacket pocket. It was me.
"'What is this, a movie or something?'
"'Yeah. I guess it's a movie. What part you want to see next?'"
DOPE SICK is also a story of social injustice and poverty, written by Walter Dean Myers who has again broken new ground in his celebrated, decades-long writing career. Myers' writings for teens have frequently focused on the poorest people and neighborhoods of the world's richest city, and DOPE SICK takes place in the bleakest of Harlem settings -- a reeking, abandoned building that has apparently been utilized as a place for drug addicts to temporarily duck into.
Lil J and his buddy Rico had been in the process of earning some quick money from a local dealer by conveying heroin to a white guy in the park. The buyer turns out to be an undercover cop and, in the ensuing chaos, the cop is shot and Rico is busted. Lil J, having been badly shot in the arm, narrowly escapes into the darkened building. He busts into the room where, inexplicably, a young guy named Kelly is set up with a comfortable chair and the television which is going to provide Lil J a long look at his past, his present, and his future.
Lil J is not especially forthcoming as to what is really going on in his life, and so we are repeatedly startled by what Kelly and his television help reveal:
"'I think I'm pregnant,' she said. "'What?' "'That wasn't the right answer,' she said."
"We know that more than half of all black children live in single-parent households, a number that has doubled — doubled — since we were children. We know the statistics — that children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of schools and 20 times more likely to end up in prison. They are more likely to have behavioral problems, or run away from home or become teenage parents themselves. And the foundations of our community are weaker because of it." -- Barack Obama, Father's Day sermon, 6/15/08.
Consistent with what President-Elect Obama was preaching about, one facet of Lil J that is revealed is that this seventeen year-old son of an absent father has, himself, become a father. Another is that he is a high school dropout. As he tells Kelly, "All you got to do is walk around and see what everybody who looks like you and living around where you living is doing and seeing they just like you and they ain't going nowhere."
The tension in Kelly's room builds as the hours tick away with the wounded, gun-wielding Lil J coming face to face with his own horrifying fate while the police remain just steps from the building, scouring the neighborhood in search of him.
Just as A CHRISTMAS CAROL was Dickens' visceral reaction to his own experiences and to what he saw happening around him, Walter Dean Myers has written an intense, brilliant, and timely piece of Twenty-first century social commentary that graphically illuminates a cycle of poverty and addiction and fatherlessness that must be addressed by the incoming administration and -- as President Elect Obama has said -- by Americans taking responsibility for their own behavior. (And by reading to their children).
On top of all that, DOPE SICK is one heck of a guy read. Hopefully there will be inspired teachers who have the guts to use this powerful piece of YA literature in the classroom. It would be really wonderful to track down some males in the community to come in and model guy reading behavior by reading this aloud to students. Hopefully, as with A CHRISTMAS CAROL, DOPE SICK will serve to enlighten those who are ignorant of what is going on in far too many of our communities.
"'This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. Deny it!' cried the Spirit, stretching out its hand towards the city. 'Slander those who tell it ye. Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse. And abide the end.'"
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
October 26, 2012
Its about how a drug deal goes bad and a cop gets shot and lil J a charecter in the book and he is on the run. Lil J starts tom get dope sick. He would do anything to change the last 24 hours, and he stumbles into an abondon building it actually might be possiable that he could get away with what he had done. He is not alone in the building there is another person in the building his name kelly.
One theme of the story is drugs and alot of drugs. the drugs affect the charecters beacuse they are involved with the drugs.lil J gets in big trouble when he gets caught with the drug dealers.Now he is trying to run from the cops. He has to hide in the warehouse til the cops go away. One thing he does not know is that he is not alone in the warehouse there is someone else that is there with him his name is kelly.
The books protagonist is lil J himself because he chooses to change his life around.Lil J choose to do everything in his life and he told himself that he could change his life by doing the things that matter to him. He left the warehouse and got arrested and went to jail but thats what he gets when he does things that will screws his life up. Lil j has relized that he did something bad and he changes with some encourage ment from his brother and mom.
I would recomend this book to people who are interested in to action books. This book is very good for young teens how are looking for a cool book to read about changing your life into something good. This book is also good for its qoutes that it has the qoutes are very good and inspiring to me. This book is very action packed and has to do with drugs and violence. I would not recommend someone to do a book report on this because it may not be approprit for a school topic.
"You can create something new and change the direction of your life" Walter Dean Myers Dope Sick.
Thrilling,EGzillerating,Anxious,Exciting,
One theme of the story is drugs and alot of drugs. the drugs affect the charecters beacuse they are involved with the drugs.lil J gets in big trouble when he gets caught with the drug dealers.Now he is trying to run from the cops. He has to hide in the warehouse til the cops go away. One thing he does not know is that he is not alone in the warehouse there is someone else that is there with him his name is kelly.
The books protagonist is lil J himself because he chooses to change his life around.Lil J choose to do everything in his life and he told himself that he could change his life by doing the things that matter to him. He left the warehouse and got arrested and went to jail but thats what he gets when he does things that will screws his life up. Lil j has relized that he did something bad and he changes with some encourage ment from his brother and mom.
I would recomend this book to people who are interested in to action books. This book is very good for young teens how are looking for a cool book to read about changing your life into something good. This book is also good for its qoutes that it has the qoutes are very good and inspiring to me. This book is very action packed and has to do with drugs and violence. I would not recommend someone to do a book report on this because it may not be approprit for a school topic.
"You can create something new and change the direction of your life" Walter Dean Myers Dope Sick.
Thrilling,EGzillerating,Anxious,Exciting,
April 20, 2009
my review on the book "dope sick" a book summary
This book is basically about a nineteen year old boy known as "lil. j" and he tells us how he got into the trouble he is in. His friend Rico
has shot a police and lil. j had something to do on why he shot the police, though both were holding guns and drugs, only Rico was the real villian. lil. j is still in big trouble though so lil. j decideds to stay away from the police. One day, lil. j stays locked inside in a small apartment because the police are parked right outside where lil. j deceied to stay. lil.j there meets another person named kelly. Kelly was with him all day in the apartment talking about what lil.j has done wrong and what he should hafve changed and how he could have. lil.j was very mad and irritated at first but then understands kelly and tells his story from the beginning. throught out this time kelly had this type of t.v that somehow could show the furture or go back in time. After a long time of talking and watching the live news to see what is happening, li8l.j had to deciede if he wanted to shoot himself with the Nine he was holding or turn himself in.Surprisingly, it was kelly who took the gun and shot outside the roof to distract the police so lil.j can escape. Kelly knew Lil.j was a nice guy. Kelly was soon turned in and Lil. j has went home without worry.
This book has taught me to choose your real friends wisely and to make as many of them very quickly.
I liked this book because it was very realilistic and the book adds alot of dialouge which really takes me inside the book.
THIS IS MY BOOK WRITE UP MR. YOUNT. OK GOODBYE
This book is basically about a nineteen year old boy known as "lil. j" and he tells us how he got into the trouble he is in. His friend Rico
has shot a police and lil. j had something to do on why he shot the police, though both were holding guns and drugs, only Rico was the real villian. lil. j is still in big trouble though so lil. j decideds to stay away from the police. One day, lil. j stays locked inside in a small apartment because the police are parked right outside where lil. j deceied to stay. lil.j there meets another person named kelly. Kelly was with him all day in the apartment talking about what lil.j has done wrong and what he should hafve changed and how he could have. lil.j was very mad and irritated at first but then understands kelly and tells his story from the beginning. throught out this time kelly had this type of t.v that somehow could show the furture or go back in time. After a long time of talking and watching the live news to see what is happening, li8l.j had to deciede if he wanted to shoot himself with the Nine he was holding or turn himself in.Surprisingly, it was kelly who took the gun and shot outside the roof to distract the police so lil.j can escape. Kelly knew Lil.j was a nice guy. Kelly was soon turned in and Lil. j has went home without worry.
This book has taught me to choose your real friends wisely and to make as many of them very quickly.
I liked this book because it was very realilistic and the book adds alot of dialouge which really takes me inside the book.
THIS IS MY BOOK WRITE UP MR. YOUNT. OK GOODBYE
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2012
Reviewed by LadyJay for TeensReadToo.com
Lil J is running away from his problems. His alcoholic mother can't seem to get straight, he can't find a decent job, and now the cops are breathing down his neck. A drug deal has gone sour, and Lil J finds himself holed up in an abandoned crack house, wounded and afraid.
He meets Kelly, a young man who asks a lot of questions and wields a television remote control. The entire situation doesn't make sense to Lil J, and things really start getting crazy when Kelly begins to play segments of Lil J's life on the TV screen.
"If you could do it all over again, and change something, what would it be?," Kelly asks Lil J.
Lil J sifts through his memories, attempting to pinpoint the moment in his life that changed him forever. Many secrets are unearthed and Lil J comes to the realization that it wasn't just one thing; it was all the little things that added up and multiplied into this mess he calls his life.
Lil J is searching for redemption, but can he find it in time - and does he even deserve it?
Walter Dean Myers is a masterful storyteller who takes ideas about urban life and morphs them into something that is truly original and unexpected. His ability to use surrealism in a very real, life-altering situation shows that you can make a point without shoving it in your face.
DOPE SICK is an excellent piece of writing that will keep you questioning until the end.......and after.
Lil J is running away from his problems. His alcoholic mother can't seem to get straight, he can't find a decent job, and now the cops are breathing down his neck. A drug deal has gone sour, and Lil J finds himself holed up in an abandoned crack house, wounded and afraid.
He meets Kelly, a young man who asks a lot of questions and wields a television remote control. The entire situation doesn't make sense to Lil J, and things really start getting crazy when Kelly begins to play segments of Lil J's life on the TV screen.
"If you could do it all over again, and change something, what would it be?," Kelly asks Lil J.
Lil J sifts through his memories, attempting to pinpoint the moment in his life that changed him forever. Many secrets are unearthed and Lil J comes to the realization that it wasn't just one thing; it was all the little things that added up and multiplied into this mess he calls his life.
Lil J is searching for redemption, but can he find it in time - and does he even deserve it?
Walter Dean Myers is a masterful storyteller who takes ideas about urban life and morphs them into something that is truly original and unexpected. His ability to use surrealism in a very real, life-altering situation shows that you can make a point without shoving it in your face.
DOPE SICK is an excellent piece of writing that will keep you questioning until the end.......and after.
November 10, 2014
The thing that I liked about the book, was the fact that it captured my attention. The way he writes, it's like if your their. Walter gives you that good visual description on what is going on. This was a good book because i could relate to the story, Some of these things do happen in real life and its just a good book. One good quote that Lil J said was " to give it, you got to live it". I don't know why I liked this but it made me think, how can you give someone something when you haven't lived it. This book made me think about everything its like he knows how to relate to people.
Kelly made me think of how the mind would work, Since Lil Jay was roaming around looking for himself. Well that's how Lil Jay thought process was, The thing that kelly made him realize was the truth about himself. Jay wasn't searching for something else but if not who he was truly. Kelly was a person with knowledge who didn't have everything figured out. Even though Jay was a bit mean to kelly, kelly still helped him out through everything he was going through. This was a good book i recommend it to anybody because you will get lost in his books.
Kelly made me think of how the mind would work, Since Lil Jay was roaming around looking for himself. Well that's how Lil Jay thought process was, The thing that kelly made him realize was the truth about himself. Jay wasn't searching for something else but if not who he was truly. Kelly was a person with knowledge who didn't have everything figured out. Even though Jay was a bit mean to kelly, kelly still helped him out through everything he was going through. This was a good book i recommend it to anybody because you will get lost in his books.
January 19, 2010
Dope sick is about a boy named Lil J who pops pain pills to help him relax. This is a bad thing because when he trys to steal pain killers and buy pain killers off of people one day he will try to do that to the wrong person. Rico is Lil J 's brother and he starts selling drugs and one day he trys to sell to a under cover cop and gets caught. I have a text to text connection for this book. In this book, selling drugs gets you no where as you can see. also in the real world it gets you no where because how ever much money you make selling it one day you will get caught. I recomend this book to anyone who likes books about drug dealing or drama. I rated this book 5 stars because it has alot of action and drama in it.
November 5, 2018
The book Dope Sick by Walter Dean Myers was about how lil J a teen that lives in the hood has a rough life full of drugs and bad decisions. and his last decision to do a drug deal with an undercover cop went south when they found out he was an undercover cop and Rico, lil Js friend shot the cop 3 times and now with lil J on the run and Rico caught, lil Js future doesn't look so bright until he meets Kelly and lil J and Kelly talk about the undercover cop innocent and everything in lil Js life. while the book is from lil Js perspective i really got to see how Kelly helped lil J through his time of need get lil Js life back on track and in the end it works by lil J flushing the rest of his dope down the toilet. I also think by how Kelly showing a selfless act of saving lil Js future for no cost at all really showed lil J that now hes a free man to clean up his life, lil J called it as it was destiny to meet Kelly
August 16, 2011
A swift, pleasant read; Dope Sick is the story of how one boy in the gets a second chance to take a close up look at his life and find a way out the “hood”. After a drug deal gone wrong, Lil J is on the run and ends up hiding out in an abandoned building with a male squatter known only as Kelly. Kelly may not have much, but he does have one thing, a magical television which has the capability to help Lil J run back through his memories and his life so that he can really make out just where his life had gone wrong. Lil J is on a cliff, teetering between the life he leads now, a good life, or immediate death. And he must respond to the one question every person has thought about at one point or another "If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?" This is a great “what if” tale.
5 Stars
5 Stars
October 17, 2018
Probably my favorite WDM book and I've read many of them. I really liked the internal struggle Lil J has with himself and how he copes with his personal troubles. Not everything can be fixed by "changing your perspective" but I personally felt like this was poignant for me since I live with depression. The ending was the only downfall. There was a supernatural element to this book, so I'm slightly confused. But overall, huge hit for me. Highly recommend to anyone interested in inner-city life, personal uphill battles, and struggles with home life.
September 19, 2021
Intense book concerning drug addiction and regret. The way this book is laid out makes dialog confusing while reading. It almost comes across as a diary. The main character meets someone that helps him reflect on his life in a unique way. I question if the main character went insane/paranoid from the drugs and we are reading the first hand perspective.
January 19, 2011
this book was amazing i think this is one of the books that i like the most the story was interesting. this book relates to the peaple that live in harsh places and whered thres violence.this book take you to the streets ofr new york and how people struggle in the geheeto
December 21, 2016
I really like this book because i can strongly relate to it. I know a lot of people who was willing to sell drugs then get legal jobs because they said the money paste was to slow.
March 5, 2020
There is no waiting for the plot in Dope Sick. As soon as the pages begin you are faced with the main characters situation. As the book progresses that is where the story unfolds. This was an easy read, but it just didn’t really do it for me. I felt it was a good message about redemption but was missing something.
October 3, 2012
Lil J is a 17 year old boy who is in alot of trouble with the Law. He lives in Harlem with a drug addicted mother. Life is hard for Lil J and he often steals his mother's pills to get through all the hard times he has been through or the problems he's going through. Without money and without a job, he becommes"broke sick" and needs something that will bring in cash. As a result his friend Rico has an oppurtunity to bring in money, and its a drug deal.
Rico is very nervous because of the drug deal and Lil J juss feels that something isn't right. As the drug deal continues, it goes horribly wrong. The buyer of the drugs just so happens to be an undercover officer. As Rico badly reacts to the situation, a gun fight breaks out. As an end result Rico shoots the cop, surverley injuring him and Lil J gets shot in the arm. They both go on the run but Rico gets caught, and Lil J hides out in an abandon crack house.
As Lil J searches for an exscape route through the abandoned house, he finds a room with a magical T.V. and a mysterious man by the name of kelly. Kelly happens to know Lil J and his life because he is watching it on the television. Lil J is freaked out about this and wants to leave, but with a click of a button kelly can show what would happen if he was to do that. Lil J would be surrrounded by police officers, and his own gun pointed at his head. After seeing that, Lil J has no choice but to stay.
As the night goes on the wound in Lil J's arm is increasing and he Lil J see's his past, present, and future. As he's watching his life unfold,can he spot out where in his life went wrong? And he is asked if he had the option of changing just one thing, what would it be and could it have prevented this horrible momment.
This book was intense,and with Walter Dean Myers' description, the book put you in Lil J's situation. It made you think about your own life and if there was anything you would take back and change to have a different outcome in your life. The big theme in this book woulld be Identity because Lil J has a hard time finding a purpose in life and must make decisions that'll allow him to live a better life Kelly helps him see this with the television, but he also asks him life changing questions that helps Lil J think about his life and why he does certain things.
Dope Sick by Walter Dean Myers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lil J is a 17 year old boy who is in alot of trouble with the Law. He lives in Harlem with a drug addicted mother. Life is hard for Lil J and he often steals his mother's pills to get through all the hard times he has been through or the problems he's going through. Without money and without a job, he becommes"broke sick" and needs something that will bring in cash. As a result his friend Rico has an oppurtunity to bring in money, and its a drug deal.
Rico is very nervous because of the drug deal and Lil J juss feels that something isn't right. As the drug deal continues, it goes horribly wrong. The buyer of the drugs just so happens to be an undercover officer. As Rico badly reacts to the situation, a gun fight breaks out. As an end result Rico shoots the cop, surverley injuring him and Lil J gets shot in the arm. They both go on the run but Rico gets caught, and Lil J hides out in an abandon crack house.
As Lil J searches for an exscape route through the abandoned house, he finds a room with a magical T.V. and a mysterious man by the name of kelly. Kelly happens to know Lil J and his life because he is watching it on the television. Lil J is freaked out about this and wants to leave, but with a click of a button kelly can show what would happen if he was to do that. Lil J would be surrrounded by police officers, and his own gun pointed at his head. After seeing that, Lil J has no choice but to stay.
As the night goes on the wound in Lil J's arm is increasing and he Lil J see's his past, present, and future. As he's watching his life unfold,can he spot out where in his life went wrong? And he is asked if he had the option of changing just one thing, what would it be and could it have prevented this horrible momment.
This book was intense,and with Walter Dean Myers' description, the book put you in Lil J's situation. It made you think about your own life and if there was anything you would take back and change to have a different outcome in your life. The big theme in this book woulld be Identity because Lil J has a hard time finding a purpose in life and must make decisions that'll allow him to live a better life Kelly helps him see this with the television, but he also asks him life changing questions that helps Lil J think about his life and why he does certain things.
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Rico is very nervous because of the drug deal and Lil J juss feels that something isn't right. As the drug deal continues, it goes horribly wrong. The buyer of the drugs just so happens to be an undercover officer. As Rico badly reacts to the situation, a gun fight breaks out. As an end result Rico shoots the cop, surverley injuring him and Lil J gets shot in the arm. They both go on the run but Rico gets caught, and Lil J hides out in an abandon crack house.
As Lil J searches for an exscape route through the abandoned house, he finds a room with a magical T.V. and a mysterious man by the name of kelly. Kelly happens to know Lil J and his life because he is watching it on the television. Lil J is freaked out about this and wants to leave, but with a click of a button kelly can show what would happen if he was to do that. Lil J would be surrrounded by police officers, and his own gun pointed at his head. After seeing that, Lil J has no choice but to stay.
As the night goes on the wound in Lil J's arm is increasing and he Lil J see's his past, present, and future. As he's watching his life unfold,can he spot out where in his life went wrong? And he is asked if he had the option of changing just one thing, what would it be and could it have prevented this horrible momment.
This book was intense,and with Walter Dean Myers' description, the book put you in Lil J's situation. It made you think about your own life and if there was anything you would take back and change to have a different outcome in your life. The big theme in this book woulld be Identity because Lil J has a hard time finding a purpose in life and must make decisions that'll allow him to live a better life Kelly helps him see this with the television, but he also asks him life changing questions that helps Lil J think about his life and why he does certain things.
Dope Sick by Walter Dean MyersMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lil J is a 17 year old boy who is in alot of trouble with the Law. He lives in Harlem with a drug addicted mother. Life is hard for Lil J and he often steals his mother's pills to get through all the hard times he has been through or the problems he's going through. Without money and without a job, he becommes"broke sick" and needs something that will bring in cash. As a result his friend Rico has an oppurtunity to bring in money, and its a drug deal.
Rico is very nervous because of the drug deal and Lil J juss feels that something isn't right. As the drug deal continues, it goes horribly wrong. The buyer of the drugs just so happens to be an undercover officer. As Rico badly reacts to the situation, a gun fight breaks out. As an end result Rico shoots the cop, surverley injuring him and Lil J gets shot in the arm. They both go on the run but Rico gets caught, and Lil J hides out in an abandon crack house.
As Lil J searches for an exscape route through the abandoned house, he finds a room with a magical T.V. and a mysterious man by the name of kelly. Kelly happens to know Lil J and his life because he is watching it on the television. Lil J is freaked out about this and wants to leave, but with a click of a button kelly can show what would happen if he was to do that. Lil J would be surrrounded by police officers, and his own gun pointed at his head. After seeing that, Lil J has no choice but to stay.
As the night goes on the wound in Lil J's arm is increasing and he Lil J see's his past, present, and future. As he's watching his life unfold,can he spot out where in his life went wrong? And he is asked if he had the option of changing just one thing, what would it be and could it have prevented this horrible momment.
This book was intense,and with Walter Dean Myers' description, the book put you in Lil J's situation. It made you think about your own life and if there was anything you would take back and change to have a different outcome in your life. The big theme in this book woulld be Identity because Lil J has a hard time finding a purpose in life and must make decisions that'll allow him to live a better life Kelly helps him see this with the television, but he also asks him life changing questions that helps Lil J think about his life and why he does certain things.
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March 31, 2025
Interesting. I found the not wholly satisfying
October 11, 2020
Pop Sugar Challenge 2020: read a banned book during banned books week
This was an interesting premise by Myers: Lil J was involved in the shooting of an undercover cop during a botched drug deal. He didn’t shoot the cop but he is being blamed. While he hides out, he’s able to reminisce about his life and ponder on where he’d go back to to be able to change his outcome. There’s interesting and real insight into what teens face. Myers states that he wrote this book for redemption: it’s not the final decision that gets you into trouble but the attitude the slowly leads you to that decision.
This was an interesting premise by Myers: Lil J was involved in the shooting of an undercover cop during a botched drug deal. He didn’t shoot the cop but he is being blamed. While he hides out, he’s able to reminisce about his life and ponder on where he’d go back to to be able to change his outcome. There’s interesting and real insight into what teens face. Myers states that he wrote this book for redemption: it’s not the final decision that gets you into trouble but the attitude the slowly leads you to that decision.
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March 5, 2012What would you do if you were in the shoes of a young man living in the city surrounded by violence, addiction, drugs, and gangs trying to provide for your family?
The book "Dope Sick" by the New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers is about a main character named Lil J trying to provide for him and his mother, and finds himself in some deep trouble with the law for drug dealing, but ends up having a miracle. It all starts when a drug deal goes wrong that one of Lil J's friend named Rico Brown takes him on and they get into a gun warfare with some police officers which results in Rico shooting the officer as they are on the run. Though Lil J has escaped from the cops and has made it to an abandoned crack house he had found out that Rico had gotten caught and knew at that point it was all over and they were going to find him. As he made it to the abandoned building Rico had gotten some hope that he had no idea of from a guy that he stummbled across that lived in the building who's name was Kelly. After a while from hiding Rico starts to become dopesick and starts realizing each minute of the drug deal that he was completely wrong for doing what he did. He also starts taking everything so seriously and thinks back about everythig that has just happened in the last few hours and would do anything to go back in time and change the last twenty-four hours. Kelly the guy that he had met in the abandoned building gave him that chance and changed Rico's life forever by revealing himself to the cops and getting shot just for having a television remote in his hand being mistaken by a gun. This book is mainly about someone getting a second chance at life by an impossible miracle with some reality and fictional events.
In my opinion I thought that the book "Dope Sick" by Walter Dean Myers was okay because in the beginning it was very interesting and it caught my attention a lot. But as the story went on to the middle it was based around to much on the end and you knew that Rico was going to get a second chance and you basically knew how the story was going to end. I also felt that they could of made the beginning of the story a little more detailed and longer becaused it felt rushed. Overall the book was okay because it was interesting and it had some fictionl aspects that made the book creative. Another part that I really liked about this book was the reality aspects of life living in the ghetto, because it is an everyday situation that some people face and have to deal with coming from these types of backgrounds and Walter Dean Myers is showing that there is a second chance, and it's never to late to do good and start taking the right road.
A scene in the book "Dope Sick" that was significant was when Rico told Kelly "I know I'm tired of thinking about it, what I should have done yesterday. if I knew what to do with my life, how to fix it up, I would have done it a long time ago. You can't dig that? You think I want to live like I'm somebodys throwaway?" This scene was significant because it showed some vulnarability from Rico and it also really showed that he no longer wanted to be the person he was, but to change his life for the good of himslelf. When this quote showed the feelings he had deep inside you could feel that even though he didn't know how to change what had happened he would do anything to change it and prove to people that he wasn't just another bad person. Another important scene was when Kelly told Rico "Looks to me like you've been making garbage for a while and dragging it with you. Now you need to get out of here, and that garbage is weighing you down." This scene was also siginficant because it was saying that no matter what happens or what the consequences are it is always good to do the right thing. The quote also states that doing the right thing always benefits yourself in the end and makes you feel better.
The theme of the book "Dope Sick" by Walter Dean Myers is that no matter who you are or where you come from if you try hard you can always get a second chance and miracles can happen. This book can relate to our culture now and to many people even though it has some fictional aspects because it can persuade people that have this lifestyle and are surrounded by bad things that you can always change your life around and it's never to late to do good for yourself and people who are important in your life that are some what effected by your decisions.
The book "Dope Sick" by the New York Times bestselling author Walter Dean Myers is about a main character named Lil J trying to provide for him and his mother, and finds himself in some deep trouble with the law for drug dealing, but ends up having a miracle. It all starts when a drug deal goes wrong that one of Lil J's friend named Rico Brown takes him on and they get into a gun warfare with some police officers which results in Rico shooting the officer as they are on the run. Though Lil J has escaped from the cops and has made it to an abandoned crack house he had found out that Rico had gotten caught and knew at that point it was all over and they were going to find him. As he made it to the abandoned building Rico had gotten some hope that he had no idea of from a guy that he stummbled across that lived in the building who's name was Kelly. After a while from hiding Rico starts to become dopesick and starts realizing each minute of the drug deal that he was completely wrong for doing what he did. He also starts taking everything so seriously and thinks back about everythig that has just happened in the last few hours and would do anything to go back in time and change the last twenty-four hours. Kelly the guy that he had met in the abandoned building gave him that chance and changed Rico's life forever by revealing himself to the cops and getting shot just for having a television remote in his hand being mistaken by a gun. This book is mainly about someone getting a second chance at life by an impossible miracle with some reality and fictional events.
In my opinion I thought that the book "Dope Sick" by Walter Dean Myers was okay because in the beginning it was very interesting and it caught my attention a lot. But as the story went on to the middle it was based around to much on the end and you knew that Rico was going to get a second chance and you basically knew how the story was going to end. I also felt that they could of made the beginning of the story a little more detailed and longer becaused it felt rushed. Overall the book was okay because it was interesting and it had some fictionl aspects that made the book creative. Another part that I really liked about this book was the reality aspects of life living in the ghetto, because it is an everyday situation that some people face and have to deal with coming from these types of backgrounds and Walter Dean Myers is showing that there is a second chance, and it's never to late to do good and start taking the right road.
A scene in the book "Dope Sick" that was significant was when Rico told Kelly "I know I'm tired of thinking about it, what I should have done yesterday. if I knew what to do with my life, how to fix it up, I would have done it a long time ago. You can't dig that? You think I want to live like I'm somebodys throwaway?" This scene was significant because it showed some vulnarability from Rico and it also really showed that he no longer wanted to be the person he was, but to change his life for the good of himslelf. When this quote showed the feelings he had deep inside you could feel that even though he didn't know how to change what had happened he would do anything to change it and prove to people that he wasn't just another bad person. Another important scene was when Kelly told Rico "Looks to me like you've been making garbage for a while and dragging it with you. Now you need to get out of here, and that garbage is weighing you down." This scene was also siginficant because it was saying that no matter what happens or what the consequences are it is always good to do the right thing. The quote also states that doing the right thing always benefits yourself in the end and makes you feel better.
The theme of the book "Dope Sick" by Walter Dean Myers is that no matter who you are or where you come from if you try hard you can always get a second chance and miracles can happen. This book can relate to our culture now and to many people even though it has some fictional aspects because it can persuade people that have this lifestyle and are surrounded by bad things that you can always change your life around and it's never to late to do good for yourself and people who are important in your life that are some what effected by your decisions.
February 12, 2017
Dope Sick Dope Sick is about a man named Lil J and the experiences he goes through living in the slums of New York. Lil J starts out in the book as a boy who does not have a job but wants one, so he starts to look for a job. Him and another guy named Eric who wait in line for hours to get a job at home depot because apparently that is the best job around, get the job. After a few weeks Lil J is fired from his job at home depot and is left to fend for himself, because of this I think the purpose if the author would be to inform the reader. Lil J calls his friend Rico, who is in the black market and sells heroin to people, to see if he has any available jobs that he could do. Rico says that he has a job for him and the job was to meet a "customer" at a anonymous spot and do the deal. Rico and Lil J meet the guy at the spot and he turns out to be an undercover cop. So Rico unloads his clip into the cop and then they start to run. The reason I chose that the author informed the reader is because I think that this happens a lot in America at this time. This supports the evidence because this does happen in America and cops do get shot because of drug deals.
The theme of the story would be "the things you do in the past can affect your future". On page 87 Lil J says to Rico, "go ahead, shoot him but we gotta hurry". This meant that after they shot the cop that the whole entire police force would be after them. After they escaped to a hiding place Lil J found out that his arm was badly bruised because the cop attacked him. So Rico went to look for supplies at a nearby store and was caught by the police. Lil J was abandoned in an apartment building. At the apartment building Lil J met a man named Kelly. Kelly was sitting in his chair watching the television when Lil J busted through the door. Lil J thought about how he could take back the last 24 hours and do it over again, little did he know Kelly would help him with that.
The style that the book was written in is narration and it was somewhat effective. The reason I say it was somewhat effective is because I did not like the style it was written in. To me it was hard to follow even though it was in order corresponding to time. On page 145 Lil J said to Kelly," Man, you dont know what I have been through today, I might as well be the tiredest person in the world". This meant that Lil J was tired of running and doing the jobs he did, he just wanted to settle down with his fiance and his son down south. When the author used Lil J's experiences to try and put the reader in his shoes, he really made it work because it was effective. Kelly had a television that could go into the future and into the past. Kelly took Lil J on a trip to his first year at high school. At high school Lil J was an average student who had mediocre attendance. On page 156 Lil J says to himself,"It was like a vivid dream, almost like it was yesterday, but I was still sitting here staring at the screen, how is he doing this!". Lil J did not know that Kelly was actually an angel, in some way, that was supposed to help him get his life back together, but the only way to do that was to show him the mistakes he made in the past again and again and again.
Did I like the book? I would have to go 5 out of 5 stars for this book. When I read this it started out like no other book that I have ever read. It was about someone's life in the slums of New York. To me I don't really read but to someone who does this book would probably suit them. I would change the the part at the end when the cops show up at the apartment at the end to try and take Lil J away, but instead of Lil J they shoot Kelly. I would change it to were they both lived and went on to be friends or something like that. I don't really read a lot of books so no other books are like this that I have read.
The theme of the story would be "the things you do in the past can affect your future". On page 87 Lil J says to Rico, "go ahead, shoot him but we gotta hurry". This meant that after they shot the cop that the whole entire police force would be after them. After they escaped to a hiding place Lil J found out that his arm was badly bruised because the cop attacked him. So Rico went to look for supplies at a nearby store and was caught by the police. Lil J was abandoned in an apartment building. At the apartment building Lil J met a man named Kelly. Kelly was sitting in his chair watching the television when Lil J busted through the door. Lil J thought about how he could take back the last 24 hours and do it over again, little did he know Kelly would help him with that.
The style that the book was written in is narration and it was somewhat effective. The reason I say it was somewhat effective is because I did not like the style it was written in. To me it was hard to follow even though it was in order corresponding to time. On page 145 Lil J said to Kelly," Man, you dont know what I have been through today, I might as well be the tiredest person in the world". This meant that Lil J was tired of running and doing the jobs he did, he just wanted to settle down with his fiance and his son down south. When the author used Lil J's experiences to try and put the reader in his shoes, he really made it work because it was effective. Kelly had a television that could go into the future and into the past. Kelly took Lil J on a trip to his first year at high school. At high school Lil J was an average student who had mediocre attendance. On page 156 Lil J says to himself,"It was like a vivid dream, almost like it was yesterday, but I was still sitting here staring at the screen, how is he doing this!". Lil J did not know that Kelly was actually an angel, in some way, that was supposed to help him get his life back together, but the only way to do that was to show him the mistakes he made in the past again and again and again.
Did I like the book? I would have to go 5 out of 5 stars for this book. When I read this it started out like no other book that I have ever read. It was about someone's life in the slums of New York. To me I don't really read but to someone who does this book would probably suit them. I would change the the part at the end when the cops show up at the apartment at the end to try and take Lil J away, but instead of Lil J they shoot Kelly. I would change it to were they both lived and went on to be friends or something like that. I don't really read a lot of books so no other books are like this that I have read.
November 23, 2016
My book is called "Dope Sick". It was written by the famous author Walter Dean Myers. This book is about a guy who is called Lil J. He is 17 years old and has a big drug problem. One day he had a drug delict and his friend shot a cop, but he said that it wasn't him, but Lil J, so he fled to an abandoned house where he found a weird guy who had a TV which could see the past and future scenes of Lil J's case.
The authors purpose was, to show people who can change something and also teenagers, that there are way to many kids on the streets without money and a home or with problems at home, like their parents, so they cannot concentrate on the important things like school and friends. In lil J's case he has to help his mom, because she is sick (p. 16-17, they are talking about the medicine she needs), and she can't work and his dad is gone, so he has to earn money for both of their lives and he needs to go to school, this at the same time is very difficult.
The theme of the author was, to show especially the youth on the one hand how important it is to finish school and get a job, because otherwise you would get to the wrong people and on the other hand he wanted to show how dangerous it is to own drugs, to deal with drugs or just to take drugs. You can see that in Lil J's case, for example he had to kill a cop, because they had this drug delict and Lil J got shot at his arm, what is very dangerous, as well (p. 41-42). So all in all he wants to make teens clear that it is important to get to the right people and that you have to learn something and get a job, otherwise your live will be very dangerous.
Finally I would say abou this that he is really caring about the youth and theri problems they have and this is not usual.
The style of the book fits perfect to the theme and to the things they happen. It is a kind of a yout language or a kind of a street language for people without alot of grammar knowledge, that menasthe sentences get shorter like this:"Lil J you 'wake?" (p.16, l.9), or "Where your prescription?" (p.21, l.12). This shows, that the live is easier, like the language they speak they try to make it easier and it's one of the signs, that they probably don't have a graduation. Another thing I recognized is, that they have almost every time a double negation, in the book they call it "street", that means they just speak it on the streets with their frind or in the drug circles. An example of it would be:"... I didn't have no comeback" (p.59, l.20), or "I don't think you can think of nothing positive" (p.99, l.3).
The style he used is close to a narration, because the book is talking about a specific event in a specific time.
All in all the style works got together with the plot and it makes you feeling closer to the event.
In my opinion this book is a really great book, because it is talking about a serious topic, but it still makes fun when you read it, because how the author wrote it's very good. Even though I had a couple of problems with the reading I wouldn't change anything about this book, because I like it very much, because off the street style he used and because of the plot. It still has something adventorous and you really need to read until the end to understand the book.
The author could bring his point over as well, so the people know what he wants to tell us and the world about this topic.
The authors purpose was, to show people who can change something and also teenagers, that there are way to many kids on the streets without money and a home or with problems at home, like their parents, so they cannot concentrate on the important things like school and friends. In lil J's case he has to help his mom, because she is sick (p. 16-17, they are talking about the medicine she needs), and she can't work and his dad is gone, so he has to earn money for both of their lives and he needs to go to school, this at the same time is very difficult.
The theme of the author was, to show especially the youth on the one hand how important it is to finish school and get a job, because otherwise you would get to the wrong people and on the other hand he wanted to show how dangerous it is to own drugs, to deal with drugs or just to take drugs. You can see that in Lil J's case, for example he had to kill a cop, because they had this drug delict and Lil J got shot at his arm, what is very dangerous, as well (p. 41-42). So all in all he wants to make teens clear that it is important to get to the right people and that you have to learn something and get a job, otherwise your live will be very dangerous.
Finally I would say abou this that he is really caring about the youth and theri problems they have and this is not usual.
The style of the book fits perfect to the theme and to the things they happen. It is a kind of a yout language or a kind of a street language for people without alot of grammar knowledge, that menasthe sentences get shorter like this:"Lil J you 'wake?" (p.16, l.9), or "Where your prescription?" (p.21, l.12). This shows, that the live is easier, like the language they speak they try to make it easier and it's one of the signs, that they probably don't have a graduation. Another thing I recognized is, that they have almost every time a double negation, in the book they call it "street", that means they just speak it on the streets with their frind or in the drug circles. An example of it would be:"... I didn't have no comeback" (p.59, l.20), or "I don't think you can think of nothing positive" (p.99, l.3).
The style he used is close to a narration, because the book is talking about a specific event in a specific time.
All in all the style works got together with the plot and it makes you feeling closer to the event.
In my opinion this book is a really great book, because it is talking about a serious topic, but it still makes fun when you read it, because how the author wrote it's very good. Even though I had a couple of problems with the reading I wouldn't change anything about this book, because I like it very much, because off the street style he used and because of the plot. It still has something adventorous and you really need to read until the end to understand the book.
The author could bring his point over as well, so the people know what he wants to tell us and the world about this topic.
March 5, 2012
If you could watch your life on television, and intervene whenever you wanted to, what would you change? In the novel, "Dope Sick" by Walter Dean Myers, A boy named Roger is in trouble with the law and does not know what to do. Myers depicts Roger and his events leading up to his crime using foreshadowing, the present as he is thinking about his next move, and his future and consequences resulting in his actions. Myers tells another tale about the troubled young man from New York City.
Myers brilliantly starts the book right where it ends; Roger is holding his arm in pain of his gunshot wound, watching his life on T.V. with a homeless man in an apartment. The figurative language he uses to describe Rogers wounds even make the reader start to cringe. "Starting to loose feeling from my fingertips to my forearm," is the way Myers explains the young mans pain he is going through while he is flashing back watching himself run across the street looking for an apartment building he will hide out in. Roger had shot and killed a thirty three year old police officer and now he is on the run from practically every police officer in the state of New York. While watching his crime and him fleeing the scene over and over again he sees how big of a mistake he had made and what he would do take his actions back.
The author depicts the setting of the apartment in which Roger is watching his life in the past and the future as a dirty, smelly, musty apartment, with a magical feel about the television. The setting was vital to the makeup of the story. It was a hole in the wall place but had an unreal treasure inside of it, that being the television. He was watching himself watching his life on T.V. and he could not believe what he had done and he was freaked out on where these images were coming from. Roger needed to fix his situation.
Finally, the homeless man, named Kelly, showed Roger his future. At first he was skeptical on the idea of seeing his life in advance, and if it would even be accurate. But Kelly recommended he watch it. He showed everything leading up to Roger being on the roof of the apartment building, pouring rain, cops had him surrounded, and he paused it. Roger did not want to see anymore. Myers uses suspense in this part of his story and keeps the reader on the edge of their seats the whole story.
Myers brilliantly put together this novel through the use of foreshadowing, description of setting, and suspense. The reader needs to dig deep and prepare themselves for the ending and I encourage you to read it and find out the ending for yourself.
Myers brilliantly starts the book right where it ends; Roger is holding his arm in pain of his gunshot wound, watching his life on T.V. with a homeless man in an apartment. The figurative language he uses to describe Rogers wounds even make the reader start to cringe. "Starting to loose feeling from my fingertips to my forearm," is the way Myers explains the young mans pain he is going through while he is flashing back watching himself run across the street looking for an apartment building he will hide out in. Roger had shot and killed a thirty three year old police officer and now he is on the run from practically every police officer in the state of New York. While watching his crime and him fleeing the scene over and over again he sees how big of a mistake he had made and what he would do take his actions back.
The author depicts the setting of the apartment in which Roger is watching his life in the past and the future as a dirty, smelly, musty apartment, with a magical feel about the television. The setting was vital to the makeup of the story. It was a hole in the wall place but had an unreal treasure inside of it, that being the television. He was watching himself watching his life on T.V. and he could not believe what he had done and he was freaked out on where these images were coming from. Roger needed to fix his situation.
Finally, the homeless man, named Kelly, showed Roger his future. At first he was skeptical on the idea of seeing his life in advance, and if it would even be accurate. But Kelly recommended he watch it. He showed everything leading up to Roger being on the roof of the apartment building, pouring rain, cops had him surrounded, and he paused it. Roger did not want to see anymore. Myers uses suspense in this part of his story and keeps the reader on the edge of their seats the whole story.
Myers brilliantly put together this novel through the use of foreshadowing, description of setting, and suspense. The reader needs to dig deep and prepare themselves for the ending and I encourage you to read it and find out the ending for yourself.
January 14, 2014
"Walter Dane Myers" the title of the book is dope sick it is heart racing. I like this book because It felt like i can see it happen for real life from all the details. I think it's one of the best books i have ever read.
The Theme of the story I got from is choose right from wrong. I like this this story because I know so many people been though the same stuff. But I dislike how he ends the book by a question because i want to know what he chooses at the end of the story. He's unique I guess I don't know why I got into this book. Maybe its because I know how it is when people are out there in the street. Their two main characters that are in the story are named Kelly, and Lil J. The writer does make the characters believable because of how they talk with the slang. Plus how the writer describe how they dress. The character are just like the people now in Harlem an anywhere else in the states. That's one of the reasons because the same stuff is going on with young kid's now dieing over drugs and gangs. (pg79) “If I'm going to be pushed off the sidewalk, I might as well step on off. You know what I mean? Stop pretending something good was waiting around the corner and be what everybody expected me to be, which was another throwaway dude". This book is compare to the world because teenagers think they have only two choices in the Ghetto. That is going to jail for life or becoming 6 feet deep. The author does make me feel like I'm in the setting he gives it a lot of detail. By saying how the room looks with holes in the wall crack pipes everywhere with a crack TV in the middle of the room. Yeah when I do close my eyes it feels like I have been there before. The plot at the end of the story is that he looks in his future and present and remembering the past. But the question is does he want to change it? I think it connections to events and issues that has happen before in US. Like the case of Trayvon Martin a lot of people were saying that he was a gang banger. If you have that repetition then you know you have done something wrong in life. He did have a choice that night to go with his home boys.
I recommend that this book should be reed between the ages 13 to 18 years old. Its a good book and I hate reading books but when I finish reading this book I was blown. So I know for sure if you have done some crazy stuff in your life then I know you will like it. You will relate to it because I know I have in some kind of way.
The Theme of the story I got from is choose right from wrong. I like this this story because I know so many people been though the same stuff. But I dislike how he ends the book by a question because i want to know what he chooses at the end of the story. He's unique I guess I don't know why I got into this book. Maybe its because I know how it is when people are out there in the street. Their two main characters that are in the story are named Kelly, and Lil J. The writer does make the characters believable because of how they talk with the slang. Plus how the writer describe how they dress. The character are just like the people now in Harlem an anywhere else in the states. That's one of the reasons because the same stuff is going on with young kid's now dieing over drugs and gangs. (pg79) “If I'm going to be pushed off the sidewalk, I might as well step on off. You know what I mean? Stop pretending something good was waiting around the corner and be what everybody expected me to be, which was another throwaway dude". This book is compare to the world because teenagers think they have only two choices in the Ghetto. That is going to jail for life or becoming 6 feet deep. The author does make me feel like I'm in the setting he gives it a lot of detail. By saying how the room looks with holes in the wall crack pipes everywhere with a crack TV in the middle of the room. Yeah when I do close my eyes it feels like I have been there before. The plot at the end of the story is that he looks in his future and present and remembering the past. But the question is does he want to change it? I think it connections to events and issues that has happen before in US. Like the case of Trayvon Martin a lot of people were saying that he was a gang banger. If you have that repetition then you know you have done something wrong in life. He did have a choice that night to go with his home boys.
I recommend that this book should be reed between the ages 13 to 18 years old. Its a good book and I hate reading books but when I finish reading this book I was blown. So I know for sure if you have done some crazy stuff in your life then I know you will like it. You will relate to it because I know I have in some kind of way.
January 25, 2012
Imagine yourself growing up in the "Ghetto", with no motivation at home, and with an alcoholic mother hooked on pain killers. No you can visualize what Lil' J (Jeremy, 17) goes through everyday in the streets of Harlem in Walter Dean Meyers' book. Lil' J losses all control of his life and decisions, thus dropping out of school and doing drugs from time to time. He becomes friends with a gang member named Rico. Rico gets Lil' J into "dope dealing" (selling drugs).
Trying to make a living, Lil' J goes looking for a job at Home Depot. With no luck he continues selling drugs. During one of their deals, they go to take the drug to the buyer and everything goes terrible. Lil' J escapes the murder scene injured, and ends up fleeing to an abandoned complex. (This is where the book got more interesting to me.) Inside he finds a man watching a television. He meets the man watching the television. His name is Kelly. He sits down in a sketchy chair in the back of the small room. He starts to watch the television and realizes that you can see what is happening outside through the television. He starts talking to Kelly and he realizes that the image on the screen changes to his life. Through the screen Kelly lets Lil' J relive his life, seeing all his mistakes, all the things he regrets and all the misery he has been through. On page 46, Kelly questions Lil' J if he would change what he had done, if he could and Lil' J admits, "I know I'm tired of thinking about what I should have done yesterday. I know I'm just tired. If I knew what to do with my life, how to fix it up, I would have done it a long time ago. You can't dig that? You think I want to live like I'm somebody's throwaway?". Lil' J's tone sounds frustrated.
"Dope Sick" relates to my culture, because I lived close to the "Ghetto" and I have family that lives in the "Ghetto" so I know what it feels like to live there. Also in the Point Loma area, there are many Dope Dealers and people who take drugs. In a part of San Diego there is an area called O.B. (Ocean Beach) This area is known for reputation of having a lot of homeless and druggies. The good thing is that besides all that, there is a lot of beauty, like the beach, the O.B. Pier and other amazing sights.
This book kept me entertained, but at one point the action just plumets and book goes boring. I give it 3 stars.
Trying to make a living, Lil' J goes looking for a job at Home Depot. With no luck he continues selling drugs. During one of their deals, they go to take the drug to the buyer and everything goes terrible. Lil' J escapes the murder scene injured, and ends up fleeing to an abandoned complex. (This is where the book got more interesting to me.) Inside he finds a man watching a television. He meets the man watching the television. His name is Kelly. He sits down in a sketchy chair in the back of the small room. He starts to watch the television and realizes that you can see what is happening outside through the television. He starts talking to Kelly and he realizes that the image on the screen changes to his life. Through the screen Kelly lets Lil' J relive his life, seeing all his mistakes, all the things he regrets and all the misery he has been through. On page 46, Kelly questions Lil' J if he would change what he had done, if he could and Lil' J admits, "I know I'm tired of thinking about what I should have done yesterday. I know I'm just tired. If I knew what to do with my life, how to fix it up, I would have done it a long time ago. You can't dig that? You think I want to live like I'm somebody's throwaway?". Lil' J's tone sounds frustrated.
"Dope Sick" relates to my culture, because I lived close to the "Ghetto" and I have family that lives in the "Ghetto" so I know what it feels like to live there. Also in the Point Loma area, there are many Dope Dealers and people who take drugs. In a part of San Diego there is an area called O.B. (Ocean Beach) This area is known for reputation of having a lot of homeless and druggies. The good thing is that besides all that, there is a lot of beauty, like the beach, the O.B. Pier and other amazing sights.
This book kept me entertained, but at one point the action just plumets and book goes boring. I give it 3 stars.
October 10, 2019
Dope Sick is a realistic fiction book by Walter Dean Myers about a boy named Lil J that gets framed for shooting a cop. Lil J and his friend, Rico and Lil J are on a mission to sell drugs but the seller turns out to be a cop. Rico shot the cop because he didn’t want anyone to know that he was selling drugs so that, they didn’t go to jail. I really liked this book because it was very unpredictable and I recommend it to people who can relate to living in or near bad parts of town.
The main topic of this book is asking for help can sometimes result in benefits for yourself. Reading this book was awesome and is very intense and also very relaxed at times. The main character, Lil J, is very torn apart by a whole bunch of things including being framed, relationships, and a whole bunch of other things. A few questions I’m left with after reading the story is Did kelly know that he was going to die in order to save the life of Lil J’s? On page 179 Walter Dean Myers said “Get some rest, Lil J, Kelly had said. I got to go.” (Lil J 179) The fact that Kelly said “I got to go.” makes me wonder if he knew he was going to get shot. Through this, I think the author leaves an important message, no matter who you are or where you come from if you try hard miracles can happen and you can always get a second chance.
The author, Walter Dean Myers, uses very slang-like language and for some people might be very hard to understand. However, for some people, this might be a way to engage the reader more and hook the reader to the book. For example, on page 29, one of the minor characters, Dusty, says “Y’all meet this white boy at two o’clock. Give him the dope and make damn sure the money you get from him is correct. Then you get that money to me by three this afternoon.” (Dusty 29) Some words in this sentence are missing and should be replaced maybe with other words. This language is called slang. Most of the book is a story being told to another person, Lil J telling it to Kelly.
Overall, I thought this book was good. Some strengths were nice plot, nice characterization, good storyline, and much more. Although, I did find it kind of hard to read because of some of the language people use. I think this book could teach people a few lessons and it well worth your time to read. I rate this book four stars.
The main topic of this book is asking for help can sometimes result in benefits for yourself. Reading this book was awesome and is very intense and also very relaxed at times. The main character, Lil J, is very torn apart by a whole bunch of things including being framed, relationships, and a whole bunch of other things. A few questions I’m left with after reading the story is Did kelly know that he was going to die in order to save the life of Lil J’s? On page 179 Walter Dean Myers said “Get some rest, Lil J, Kelly had said. I got to go.” (Lil J 179) The fact that Kelly said “I got to go.” makes me wonder if he knew he was going to get shot. Through this, I think the author leaves an important message, no matter who you are or where you come from if you try hard miracles can happen and you can always get a second chance.
The author, Walter Dean Myers, uses very slang-like language and for some people might be very hard to understand. However, for some people, this might be a way to engage the reader more and hook the reader to the book. For example, on page 29, one of the minor characters, Dusty, says “Y’all meet this white boy at two o’clock. Give him the dope and make damn sure the money you get from him is correct. Then you get that money to me by three this afternoon.” (Dusty 29) Some words in this sentence are missing and should be replaced maybe with other words. This language is called slang. Most of the book is a story being told to another person, Lil J telling it to Kelly.
Overall, I thought this book was good. Some strengths were nice plot, nice characterization, good storyline, and much more. Although, I did find it kind of hard to read because of some of the language people use. I think this book could teach people a few lessons and it well worth your time to read. I rate this book four stars.
May 27, 2011
Well i chose to read this book because it looked intersting after reading the back of the book i though i might like it and i really did its about a guy named Lil J who is being chased by the cops for a crime that he did not commit which was shooting a cop, they were selling drugs when this happened the cop was undercover and got shot but it wasn't him it was Rico his friend who shot him but he got caught and he told the police that it was Lil J who actually shot him. The Genre of the book is Realistic fiction because this is happening out there but this is just a made up story. The setting takes place in Harlem New York. Lil J is a drug addict he has just been shot and he is running from the cops he has a little son named brian a mom who is an alcoholic and he is also a rapper wants to get a job but he cant. Well Lil J hides in an abandoned building in which he meets Kelly, Kelly is just a typical dude just sitting watching television when all of the sudden he shows him his life i think is the past the present and the future through all this that Lil J is going through Kelly keeps on telling him if he would change something of his life what would it be Lil J has been accused of shooting a police officer but he did not do it and he is also getting dope sick which makes the scenario worse but he tells Kelly that he tried to change but he couldn't tells him how the whole deal of the shooting happened and that he is going to spend the rest of life in jail if they find him. The main problem is that he is being accused of a crime he did no commit he does not know what he wants to change and that how is he going to change his life. He was thinking of calling the cops and telling Kelly that he was going to give himself up but Kelly stopped him and Lil J gave him the gun and Kelly started shooting out the window then walked out the door and gave himself up when Lil J got home he saw the news they said that they had found the other suspect of the shooting of the cop and he was free. Later he changed the channel and saw himself talking to Kelly again so he was some kind of angel in my mind he knew that that was not the last time he was going to see Kelly. I thought it was a great book intersting and can teach you.
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