Two acclaimed authors discuss reporting shocking stories of inner-city children in peril, and The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace.
A heartfelt, and riveting biography of the short life of a talented young African-American man who escapes the slums of Newark for Yale University only to succumb to the dangers of the streets—and of one’s own nature—when he returns home.
When author Jeff Hobbs arrived at Yale University, he became fast friends with the man who would be his college roommate for four years, Robert Peace. Robert’s life was rough from the beginning in the crime-ridden streets of Newark in the 1980s, with his father in jail and his mother earning less than $15,000 a year. But Robert was a brilliant student, and it was supposed to get easier when he was accepted to Yale, where he studied molecular biochemistry and biophysics. But it didn’t get easier. Robert carried with him the difficult dual nature of his existence, “fronting” in Yale, and at home.
Through an honest rendering of Robert’s relationships—with his struggling mother, with his incarcerated father, with his teachers and friends and fellow drug dealers—The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace encompasses the most enduring conflicts in America: race, class, drugs, community, imprisonment, education, family, friendship, and love. It’s about the collision of two fiercely insular worlds—the ivy-covered campus of Yale University and Newark, New Jersey, and the difficulty of going from one to the other and then back again. It’s about poverty, the challenges of single motherhood, and the struggle to find male role models in a community where a man is more likely to go to prison than to college. It’s about reaching one’s greatest potential and taking responsibility for your family no matter the cost. It’s about trying to live a decent life in America. But most all the story is about the tragic life of one singular brilliant young man. His end, a violent one, is heartbreaking and powerful and unforgettable.
1118965235
When author Jeff Hobbs arrived at Yale University, he became fast friends with the man who would be his college roommate for four years, Robert Peace. Robert’s life was rough from the beginning in the crime-ridden streets of Newark in the 1980s, with his father in jail and his mother earning less than $15,000 a year. But Robert was a brilliant student, and it was supposed to get easier when he was accepted to Yale, where he studied molecular biochemistry and biophysics. But it didn’t get easier. Robert carried with him the difficult dual nature of his existence, “fronting” in Yale, and at home.
Through an honest rendering of Robert’s relationships—with his struggling mother, with his incarcerated father, with his teachers and friends and fellow drug dealers—The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace encompasses the most enduring conflicts in America: race, class, drugs, community, imprisonment, education, family, friendship, and love. It’s about the collision of two fiercely insular worlds—the ivy-covered campus of Yale University and Newark, New Jersey, and the difficulty of going from one to the other and then back again. It’s about poverty, the challenges of single motherhood, and the struggle to find male role models in a community where a man is more likely to go to prison than to college. It’s about reaching one’s greatest potential and taking responsibility for your family no matter the cost. It’s about trying to live a decent life in America. But most all the story is about the tragic life of one singular brilliant young man. His end, a violent one, is heartbreaking and powerful and unforgettable.
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League
A heartfelt, and riveting biography of the short life of a talented young African-American man who escapes the slums of Newark for Yale University only to succumb to the dangers of the streets—and of one’s own nature—when he returns home.
When author Jeff Hobbs arrived at Yale University, he became fast friends with the man who would be his college roommate for four years, Robert Peace. Robert’s life was rough from the beginning in the crime-ridden streets of Newark in the 1980s, with his father in jail and his mother earning less than $15,000 a year. But Robert was a brilliant student, and it was supposed to get easier when he was accepted to Yale, where he studied molecular biochemistry and biophysics. But it didn’t get easier. Robert carried with him the difficult dual nature of his existence, “fronting” in Yale, and at home.
Through an honest rendering of Robert’s relationships—with his struggling mother, with his incarcerated father, with his teachers and friends and fellow drug dealers—The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace encompasses the most enduring conflicts in America: race, class, drugs, community, imprisonment, education, family, friendship, and love. It’s about the collision of two fiercely insular worlds—the ivy-covered campus of Yale University and Newark, New Jersey, and the difficulty of going from one to the other and then back again. It’s about poverty, the challenges of single motherhood, and the struggle to find male role models in a community where a man is more likely to go to prison than to college. It’s about reaching one’s greatest potential and taking responsibility for your family no matter the cost. It’s about trying to live a decent life in America. But most all the story is about the tragic life of one singular brilliant young man. His end, a violent one, is heartbreaking and powerful and unforgettable.
When author Jeff Hobbs arrived at Yale University, he became fast friends with the man who would be his college roommate for four years, Robert Peace. Robert’s life was rough from the beginning in the crime-ridden streets of Newark in the 1980s, with his father in jail and his mother earning less than $15,000 a year. But Robert was a brilliant student, and it was supposed to get easier when he was accepted to Yale, where he studied molecular biochemistry and biophysics. But it didn’t get easier. Robert carried with him the difficult dual nature of his existence, “fronting” in Yale, and at home.
Through an honest rendering of Robert’s relationships—with his struggling mother, with his incarcerated father, with his teachers and friends and fellow drug dealers—The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace encompasses the most enduring conflicts in America: race, class, drugs, community, imprisonment, education, family, friendship, and love. It’s about the collision of two fiercely insular worlds—the ivy-covered campus of Yale University and Newark, New Jersey, and the difficulty of going from one to the other and then back again. It’s about poverty, the challenges of single motherhood, and the struggle to find male role models in a community where a man is more likely to go to prison than to college. It’s about reaching one’s greatest potential and taking responsibility for your family no matter the cost. It’s about trying to live a decent life in America. But most all the story is about the tragic life of one singular brilliant young man. His end, a violent one, is heartbreaking and powerful and unforgettable.
12.99
In Stock
5
1
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League
416The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League
416Related collections and offers
12.99
In Stock
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781476731926 |
---|---|
Publisher: | Scribner |
Publication date: | 09/23/2014 |
Sold by: | SIMON & SCHUSTER |
Format: | eBook |
Pages: | 416 |
Sales rank: | 131,883 |
Lexile: | 1220L (what's this?) |
File size: | 6 MB |
About the Author
From the B&N Reads Blog
Customer Reviews
Explore More Items
From the Detroit ghetto of his youth to the vaunted halls of Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital, the extraordinary life of Dr. Ben Solomon Carson is rooted in hard work, faith, family and a thirst
Manos prodigiosas por y acerca de Ben Carson, Doctor en Medicina, es el relato inspirador de un chiquillo de un barrio difícil, con bajas calificaciones y poca motivación, que a los treinta
No risk, pay the cost.
Know risk, reap the rewards.
In our risk-avoidance culture, we place a high premium on safety. We insure our vacations. We check crash tests on cars. We extend the warranties on
Know risk, reap the rewards.
In our risk-avoidance culture, we place a high premium on safety. We insure our vacations. We check crash tests on cars. We extend the warranties on
Learn from one of our leading conservative voices how we can return to the biblical values our nation was founded upon, especially the vital importance of the family, in order to secure a prosperous
National Book Award winner James McBride goes in search of the “real” James Brown—and his surprising journey illuminates the ways in which our cultural heritage has been shaped by
Der Mann hinter dem Mythos James Brown.
"Godfather", "Mr. Dynamite" und "Da Number One Soul Brother": James Brown war eine der exzentrischsten und wirkmächtigsten Figuren der Popmusik. Doch es
"Godfather", "Mr. Dynamite" und "Da Number One Soul Brother": James Brown war eine der exzentrischsten und wirkmächtigsten Figuren der Popmusik. Doch es
From the bestselling author of Deacon King Kong and the National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird: The modern classic that spent more than two years on The New York Times
Die Farbe von Wasser erzählt die Geschichte James McBrides, der in den sechziger Jahren – den Zeiten von Malcolm X und Martin Luther Kings – an der Seite von elf Geschwistern in New
Después de Mi historia, el libro de memorias aclamado por la crítica y número uno en ventas, llega esta inspiradora obra en la que Michelle Obama, ex primera dama de Estados Unidos,
Die kraftvolle und inspirierende Autobiografie der ehemaligen First Lady der USA Michelle Obama ist eine der überzeugendsten und beeindruckendsten Frauen der Gegenwart. Als erste
Die überarbeitete Neuausgabe für junge Leserinnen und Leser. Die inspirierende Autobiografie der ehemaligen First Lady der USA. BECOMING – Erzählt für die nächste
SPIEGEL-Bestseller #1: Der inspirierende Folgeband des Weltbestsellers »Becoming« von der ehemaligen First Lady Michelle Obama
Es gibt womöglich keine einfachen Lösungen
Es gibt womöglich keine einfachen Lösungen
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER • NAMED ONE OF TIME’S TEN BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE DECADE • PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST • NATIONAL BOOK
Collects Black Panther (2016) #5-8, Jungle Action #6-7. Counting down the final days of the kingdom of Wakanda! As Zenzi and The People poison Wakanda’s citizens against the Black Panther, a
Collects Black Panther (2016) #166-172. Klaw stands supreme! The Black Panther’s greatest foe has returned, ready for war! Can T’Challa finally defeat Ulysses Klaw, the man who killed his