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Dodgers: A Novel by Bill Beverly
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Dodgers: A Novel (original 2016; edition 2016)

by Bill Beverly (Author)

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54313043,966 (3.95)121
Sent by his uncle along with his hotheaded brother and other teens to kill a major witness, East, a young gang member from Los Angeles, finds his perspectives changed by his encounters outside of the city.
Member:romymaria
Title:Dodgers: A Novel
Authors:Bill Beverly (Author)
Info:Crown (2016), 304 pages
Collections:To read
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Dodgers by Bill Beverly (2016)

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» See also 121 mentions

English (137)  Swedish (1)  French (1)  All languages (138)
Showing 1-5 of 136 (next | show all)
Empty chrysalis, can't see the butterfly ( )
  postsign | Dec 28, 2023 |
A thriller with depth, written in a style that is very intimate and innovative, resulting in one of the best reads of this year. This was Beverly’s first piece of fiction (and it seems he hasn’t produced any since!). It yielded him at least 4 literary awards including the prestigious CWA gold dagger. Yet it is no typical crime novel or thriller.

Rather it is a coming-of-age novel cum road movie of four black youngsters from LA performing a targeted assassination of a judge in Wisconsin who is about to testify against an LA drug lord, Fin, boss and stepdad to East (for Easton). East has just been witness to a police raid on a drug house under his guard. He could not help it, but Fin makes clear to East that he has to undertake a new job (the assassination) for him, if he wants to stay in business. The motley crew of youngsters assigned for this job, falls under East’s responsibility, though he had no say in its composition: There is the 22 year old Michael Wilson, the oldest hand, a duplicitous snitch who runs a drug network at UCLA for Fin; there is the young and fat Walter, who thinks of nothing but food, is chatty and turns out to be a computer geek cum ID fabricator; and to crown it all, there is East’s younger half brother (same mom, different dad) who acts like a sulking, yet trigger happy street gangster. And sure, almost from the word Go, things start going wrong.

Yet in the end the job gets done, and East wants out. Just when you think East has managed to achieve an opt-out, a ghost from the past gets back to him, and he is all set for the next step in his criminal career. Finger-licking good. ( )
  alexbolding | Dec 4, 2023 |
A tight Clockers-like story about a ghetto teenager who gets a chance to take a trip and try to escape his physical and moral confinement. It might be flawless. ( )
  markm2315 | Jul 1, 2023 |
Lots of people love this, but I didn't. Was expecting a fast-paced, exciting thriller with a great plot, but this was more a slow, coming-of-age road trip novel with no plot. Got off to a promising start with an original opening, but the Las Vegas scene was anti-climactic and story went downhill from there. The slow pace made the trip seem endless. A police car is behind them. Will they be stopped? No. Another police car is behind them. Will they be stopped this time? No, because then something might happen. The story picked up again with some unexpected action scenes further on, but then it petered out again, and the ending, I thought, was highly implausible. Despite a great writing style, which reminded me of Cormac McCarthy, I didn't find any of the characters interesting or compelling (except silent Ty in the earlier parts) and I couldn't engage with the story. But maybe I just don't like road trips! ( )
  MochaVonBee | Jan 21, 2023 |
For once the back cover text nails it: Dodgers is something entirely original. A gripping literary crime novel wih a compact cast whose intimate story opens up to become a reflection on the nature of belonging and reinvention. ( )
  Lysann | May 20, 2021 |
Showing 1-5 of 136 (next | show all)
Alhoewel gepresenteerd als thriller is Weg veel meer een soort van coming-of-age roman. East is een vijftienjarige jongen die als bewaker van een drugspand actief. De politie rolt het drugspand op. East is er getuige van dat een jong meisje slachtoffer wordt van de gewelddadigheden die tijdens het oprollen van het drugspand. Van de leider van de criminele bende krijgt hij hierna de opdracht om een belangrijke getuige die in het Midwesten woonachtig is te liquideren...lees verder >
 
Four LA gang members travel east on a take out mission...what follows is a journey not only filled with miscalculations, misunderstandings, and a car ride through the US, but the story takes you on East's struggle with who he is, who he doesn't want to become, and the life he seemingly is bound to live. It's a fast paced tale that concludes in a surprising, unexpected manner, and it's an action driven plot that has the reader glimpse into the life of what it means to be an urban, black youth in America.
added by crmesko | editThe LibraryThing Early Reviewers (Apr 25, 2016)
 
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This book is for Olive, who gave me a new life.
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The Boxes was all the boys knew; it was the only place.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Sent by his uncle along with his hotheaded brother and other teens to kill a major witness, East, a young gang member from Los Angeles, finds his perspectives changed by his encounters outside of the city.

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