Autobiography of My Dead Brother
By. Dean Myers
Review By. Paris Flowers
In the Autobiography of My Dead Brother Dean Myers talks about how growing up in the a city plagued by gangs that are always making conflict with one another. He tells the reader about the life of Jesse and his blood brother Rise and how they try to survive through all of the chaos between all the gangs the the group they have decided to join the Counts and crew that is in the middle of all the drama. When they first joined the counts they didn't have to go through no ridiculous initiation process of getting beat up by multiple people that are already in the gang all they had to do was show up to a meeting and write their names down and then they would be apart of the crew. The main character Jesse has talent he can draw anything he sees in a matter of minutes. He has decided to write an autobiography about his brother Rise and what he goes through on a daily and how he got into drug dealing and why he sells drugs.
In the novel, Myers uses authentic-sounding dialogue and plot developments to expound his themes. The explains the importance loyalty and friendship as well as the support of family and other trusted adults, while realistically depicting the tensions and traumas faced by teens in contemporary Harlem. Though Myers shows that the lure of drugs and violence is hard to escape and the affects everyone, he also underscores the importance of trying to rise above one's talents. With characters like Jesse and C.J., finding their identities and being true to themselves are critical steps toward a successful life.