Have you ever seen a Thirteen Year Old Drug User? Well if you haven't, you are about to experience it. A HERO Ain't Nothin' But A Sandwich is about a thirteen year old boy named Benjie Johnson who is on the verge to being hooked on heroin for the rest of his life. He's not your average hoodlum; He is very intelligent as far as school, and famous heroes, but growing up in the inner-city, and hanging around the wrong people causes him to think otherwise. He lives with his mother Rose, stepfather Butler, and grandmother Ms.Bell; Also has a close friend name Jimmy-Lee Powell. Heroin causes Benjie To do terrible things such as Steal money from his grandmother. His family & friends want him to Quit, but all Benjie wants is somebody to believe in Him.
Benjie lives In South Central Los Angeles, which was probably one of the worst neighborhoods to grow up in at the time. South Central is filled with a Widespread of crime, drugs and Poverty. You see a lot of things coming up in a Urban ghetto, even Thirteen to Fourteen year old kids literally beating up old mature women for their purses. Growing up in a place like that causes you to lose things; Your Pride and Hope. The Book wouldn't be the same if the setting was opposite. For Example, if the setting was in Beverly Hills, the book would probably talk about rich kids spending the whole weekend shopping, or throwing tea parties and things like that; More like a Prep Story.
Two Characters that changed in the Book are both Benjie, and his Stepfather Butler. Butler wants to be a good stepfather and be conducive to benjie, but he see different. Benjie didn't like Butler because all he did was complain about his habit that he had. They both change in the book because benjie and butler both found a way to have a better relationship when benjie promises to quit heroin; He soon found somebody that actually believed in him.
The Author uses allot of words, and statements to get the point across, or to make the climax interesting. In the book when butler and benjie had their thoughts about each other, butler replied "The Kid got to hangin round those that's in a junk bag and then got in one himself" (Childress 16). when he said the statement, the author was trying to let the readers know that butler was confronting benjie about hanging around the wrong crowd and that they were putting negative thing in his head. The author also wanted the readers to know how dangerous the ghetto was, and what evolves around it When the grandmother said "I'm afraid to go out in the street alone, day or night. Bad boys now hate old people and will beat them and take away our little money" (Childress 29). Also, the authors explains how heroes at he time were unknown. Benjie explains to his mother and stepfather " In This Time, a HERO ain't nothin' but a sandwich."
One major effect in the book was when benjie first started heroin; The cause of that situation was that he thought it wasn't a big deal, and that he could quit any time. Also, another effect in the book was when Jimmy-Lee, and Benjie relationship as friends were in a hole because Jimmy-Lee didn't want any part of what benjie was doing with his life. The last and final Effect of the book was when Benjie and Butler settled their differences because benjie had finally found some one who believed in him.
"Childress does an excellent job of putting the perspectives of all the characters associated with Benjie or to his problem in this novel. Point of view is a defining characteristic of this novel. Within the twenty-three first person narratives, the reader hears the dialect, different knowledge levels, and thinking processes of all the character's, from the local drug pusher to Benjie's high school teachers. This made the plot a bit harder to follow at first, but had it been written any other way it would have lost a definite sense of authenticity." - By Arman Sheffey
"Powerfully and courageously honest about the lives of the young, African-American heroin addict Benjie and those around him ... There are no easy answers in this book. I think it's a story people need to hear, whether we want to or not. I couldn't put it down; I will never forget it; I only hope I learned from it. Moving and amazing." - By A Customer
"I read this book in highschool, was a very great story. Teaches young teenagers the consequences of heavy drug use and how peer pressure could affect an adolescents mind to do things to make them look cool but due time put them in a major crisis with themselves. Also lets young readers know that there is no shame in getting help and shows families how to put more attention onto their children to prevent things such as these situations from happening in this book." - By Heather
I think people should read this book not because it talks about a young kid growing up in the ghetto, but because it can help you with life situations. It's plenty of people out in the world today that feels just how benjie felt when he needed somebody to be there for them, and to believe that you can achieve more when you have somebody on your side. If You help a human being that is hurt in time, it can teach you allot of things and take you far in life.
Benjie lives In South Central Los Angeles, which was probably one of the worst neighborhoods to grow up in at the time. South Central is filled with a Widespread of crime, drugs and Poverty. You see a lot of things coming up in a Urban ghetto, even Thirteen to Fourteen year old kids literally beating up old mature women for their purses. Growing up in a place like that causes you to lose things; Your Pride and Hope. The Book wouldn't be the same if the setting was opposite. For Example, if the setting was in Beverly Hills, the book would probably talk about rich kids spending the whole weekend shopping, or throwing tea parties and things like that; More like a Prep Story.
Two Characters that changed in the Book are both Benjie, and his Stepfather Butler. Butler wants to be a good stepfather and be conducive to benjie, but he see different. Benjie didn't like Butler because all he did was complain about his habit that he had. They both change in the book because benjie and butler both found a way to have a better relationship when benjie promises to quit heroin; He soon found somebody that actually believed in him.
The Author uses allot of words, and statements to get the point across, or to make the climax interesting. In the book when butler and benjie had their thoughts about each other, butler replied "The Kid got to hangin round those that's in a junk bag and then got in one himself" (Childress 16). when he said the statement, the author was trying to let the readers know that butler was confronting benjie about hanging around the wrong crowd and that they were putting negative thing in his head. The author also wanted the readers to know how dangerous the ghetto was, and what evolves around it When the grandmother said "I'm afraid to go out in the street alone, day or night. Bad boys now hate old people and will beat them and take away our little money" (Childress 29). Also, the authors explains how heroes at he time were unknown. Benjie explains to his mother and stepfather " In This Time, a HERO ain't nothin' but a sandwich."
One major effect in the book was when benjie first started heroin; The cause of that situation was that he thought it wasn't a big deal, and that he could quit any time. Also, another effect in the book was when Jimmy-Lee, and Benjie relationship as friends were in a hole because Jimmy-Lee didn't want any part of what benjie was doing with his life. The last and final Effect of the book was when Benjie and Butler settled their differences because benjie had finally found some one who believed in him.
"Childress does an excellent job of putting the perspectives of all the characters associated with Benjie or to his problem in this novel. Point of view is a defining characteristic of this novel. Within the twenty-three first person narratives, the reader hears the dialect, different knowledge levels, and thinking processes of all the character's, from the local drug pusher to Benjie's high school teachers. This made the plot a bit harder to follow at first, but had it been written any other way it would have lost a definite sense of authenticity." - By Arman Sheffey
"Powerfully and courageously honest about the lives of the young, African-American heroin addict Benjie and those around him ... There are no easy answers in this book. I think it's a story people need to hear, whether we want to or not. I couldn't put it down; I will never forget it; I only hope I learned from it. Moving and amazing." - By A Customer
"I read this book in highschool, was a very great story. Teaches young teenagers the consequences of heavy drug use and how peer pressure could affect an adolescents mind to do things to make them look cool but due time put them in a major crisis with themselves. Also lets young readers know that there is no shame in getting help and shows families how to put more attention onto their children to prevent things such as these situations from happening in this book." - By Heather
I think people should read this book not because it talks about a young kid growing up in the ghetto, but because it can help you with life situations. It's plenty of people out in the world today that feels just how benjie felt when he needed somebody to be there for them, and to believe that you can achieve more when you have somebody on your side. If You help a human being that is hurt in time, it can teach you allot of things and take you far in life.
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