Book Review: Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers

*ARC provided by publisher*

Lockdown is exactly what Reese feels his life is like.  He's fourteen and in a juvenile detention center.  As he tries to maneuver the problems of fellow inmates looking for a fight, adults who assume he's a lifelong criminal, and his own sense of an inevitable life on the street, he makes an unlikely friend. Mr. Hooft is an elderly white man with his plenty of prejudice and lots of stories about his own life that help Reese discover just what he might be capable of. 

Things I Liked:
It was a unique and interesting look at life in a detention center.  I liked getting into the mind of a person who deals with everyone's preconceived notions of his criminality and his general depravity.  Having grown up white, privileged, and pretty sheltered, I found it hard to relate to Reese's difficulties in trying not to fight other inmates.  The book doesn't pack quite the punch that Monster did, but I liked the hopeful ending, especially after I started to care about what happened to Reese.

Things I Didn't Like:
I didn't think there was enough about the relationship between Mr. Hooft and Reese.  It didn't really develop in my mind to the point where they liked each other enough to actually listen to what the other said.  Mr. Hooft rather suddenly didn't care as much that Reese was black, despite his life-long prejudice.  Sometimes the language was a little choppy, but that might be because I don't really have a grasp on the slang. 

Read-alikes:
Definitely like Monster also by Myers

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@#
plenty

mrg-factor: X
a few remarks in passing

v-factor: ->->
they get in several fights

Overall rating: ***

I think reading definitely broadens our horizons with characters that are so different than us, but do you ever find it hard to like a book where you simply can't relate to the characters?

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