Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri-94 pages

I did a search for good graphic biographies and this was on a list and we have it here in the library. I enjoy reading a graphic novel (fiction and non-fiction) periodically. This book is a sad read because Yummy (real name Robert) is a "shorty" in a Chicago gang who kills a 14-year-old neighborhood girl on accident in an attempt to kill rival gang members to impress his gang leaders. His "brothers" in the gang decide after some time (and a massive "man" hunt for Yummy) that he is a liability and they shoot him and kill him. Also, Yummy's parents are in and out of jail, so he is raised by his grandma, but spends more time on the streets than with her. Yummy ends up on the cover of Time Magazine as an example of the ongoing violence in Chicago and the U.S. Violence, especially gang-related violence, is still a hot issue today. It is sobering that kids this young (Yummy was 11) are joining gangs and being recruited for child armies across the world and something needs to be done, although I don't profess to know the answer.