Michael Datcher

A child hurt by their parents' divorce uses music (Bob Marley, Sweet Honey in the Rock) to make it through the hard days. Poetic, direct text ("Pretending / to be okay / is tiring") paired with gorgeous, vibrant acrylic on canvas illustrations makes for a book that will resonate with many children in a similar situation.

This book is half an ode to the author's daughter named Harlem, and half a history of the early days of the Harlem neighborhood of New York. It's an interesting concept, even if it doesn't quite live up to its potential. That may come from the fact that the author doesn't usually write for children and created this book as a response to his preschooler's declaration that his other books are all boring due to their lack of illustrations. The illustrations in this book are absolutely beautiful show more and the backmatter is informative. However, the main text fell a little flat for me. show less

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From the Publisher
As a teenager raised in L.A.'s inner city without a father, Michael Datcher had already committed theft, learned the ways of the street, and developed a mortal fear of police. But Datcher had a dream about a very different kind of life-and a second chance to make good on a promise to himself.
Author Biography: Michael Datcher, a journalist and spoken-word poet, has written for Vibe, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, and show more Buzz. A former Pacific News Service correspondent, Datcher has contributed essays to a number of anthologies.

From The Critics
Essence
Datcher's memoir is heartbreaking and brutally honest.

Newark Star-Ledger
This young man's story...is an inspiration to all who dare to dream of a better life.

Publishers Weekly
Much like Mark Matousek's acclaimed memoir, Sex Death Enlightenment, Datcher's debut confronts the psychosocial damage caused by fatherlessness. In this case, the paternal absence is compounded by abandonment by Datcher's mother. A former editor-in-chief at Image magazine, and now a successful poet and writer, the author spent part of his childhood in Long Beach, Calif., obsessed with the idea of becoming a husband and father, but determined not to become an absentee dad like many of the men in his African-American community. As a young boy, he idolized his adoptive mother, who acted as an emotional anchor for him during the turbulent years of his adolescence in the 1970s. (She had been handpicked to raise him by Datcher's biological mother, who had been raped at age 16.) Datcher's voice in this heartfelt confessional alternates between that of a truly bewildered young man desperately seeking a male role model and a hip, cocksure guy. Emotionally withdrawn and suffering from a stutter, Datcher seeks to find his way by running with a group of other lost souls, briefly stumbling into petty crime that leads to arrest and being terrorized by police. Later, he becomes romantically involved with a young Dominican woman, though complications soon develop that threaten to cast him into the role of absentee father that he has so long resisted. Deeply reflective, occasionally offbeat and tearful, Datcher's memoir combines attitude, honesty and romance in a way that should appeal to both men and women. This triumphant tale is a stunning tribute to perseverance, courage and the power of positive thinking. . Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information show less