Green

Friendship. Sam Graham-Felson set his debut novel titled, Green, in his Boston hometown in 1992. Protagonist David Greenfeld is one of the few white kids at King middle school and puberty is not gentle. Graham explores David's friendship with Marlon Wellings, a young black man from the nearby projects, and their relationship leads to an understanding about privilege. I had some trouble settling into the novel because of Graham's decision to depict the middle school patois in what is either accurate to the time or totally lame; I'm too old to understand which. I was reminded of the challenge I felt on reading Huck Finn for the first time. That said, I enjoyed this novel and its humor, the sensitive and light treatment of race and privilege, and the universal experience of growing up. All the characters are well-developed and multi-dimensional. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Green from amazon.com.