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No Choirboy
Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row
By Kuklin, Susan
Publishers Summary:
No Choirboy takes readers inside America’s prisons, and allows inmates sentenced to death as teenagers to speak for themselves. In their own voices—raw and uncensored—they talk about their lives in prison, and share their thoughts and feelings about how they ended up there. Susan Kuklin also gets inside the system, exploring capital punishment itself and the intricacies and inequities of criminal justice in the United States. This is a searing, unforgettable read, and one that could change the way we think about crime and punishment.
- ISBN
- 978-0-80507-950-0
- Publisher
- Holt
REVIEWS
School Library Journal
Reviewed on September 1, 2008
Gr 9-Up Kuklin tells five stories here; four are about young men who committed murder before they reached the age of 18, and one is the story of a victim's family. Each narrative presents a picture of a troubled youth who did something he later regretted, but something that could not be undone. Within these deftly painted portraits, readers also see individuals who have grown beyond the adolescents who committed the crimes. They see compassion, remorse, and lives wasted within the penal sy...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
Horn Book Magazine
Reviewed on July 1, 2008
"Are you the sum total of your worst acts?" asks Bryan Stevenson, an anti-death penalty attorney, in the epigraph. The book opens with candid interviews that introduce three inmates, all of them teenagers when they committed their crimes. Next we meet family members of victims and inmates to see how these crimes and sentences affect them, and ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
Horn Book Guide
Starred Review on April 1, 2009
The book opens with candid interviews introducing three inmates, all teenagers when they committed crimes. Next we meet family members of v...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
Junior Library Guild
Reviewed on August 1, 2008
A truly gripping read, No Choirboy will appeal to a diverse audience. Readers will appreciate the captivating stories and honest language of the interviewees in this series of revelatory and moving interviews. One inmate speaks of the unexpected kindness he found on death row: "You get a teenage kid coming in who knows nothing about prison, nothing about people, no...Log In or Sign Up to Read More
