You Don't Even Know Me: Stories and Poems about Boys (review)

Sharon Flake lifts the veil on the inner lives of black boys in this collection of poems and short stories. Prose entries follow a seventeen-year-old who has second thoughts on his wedding day, a boy who has to decide how far he's willing to go to avenge his grandfather's murder, and a twin who wrestles with a decision to follow his brother in suicide after being abused; there's also a midwestern guy who gets HIV while living in New York with his uncle, a player who loses the girl he really likes because he refuses to show his feelings, and a boy who is seduced by the youngish mom of his next-door neighbor. The younger the boys, it seems, the more uncomplicated their emotions, as a preteen boy goes on an unsuccessful shopping trip with his morbidly obese father, and another boy rejoices in all of the things that go on in the North Philly heat. Throughout this panoply of urban boy experiences, Flake's characteristic honesty remains unflagging even when it takes her into unflattering territory, but she never loses her compassion toward her subjects. The poems, while uneven in quality, feature quick shots of strong emotion, songs of triumph and defiance, and naked vulnerabilities offered up to readers willing to know these boys with their hearts, as Flake so obviously does.