A Hero Ain't Nothin But a Sandwich

Benji Johnson is a 13 year-old junkie living in 1970s Harlem. He comes from a broken home and feels no one believes in him, so he starts using drugs to “tune out” all the bad in his life. The problem is he doesn’t think he is addicted to the “skag”. But the time has come for him to make the choice to break free of his addiction and in the process he finds a hero for good or worse.

As an “outsider” to the time and environment in which this book is set, it opened my eyes to the problems that urban children face and even though it was written in the 70s, the issues brought up in this story are still relevant (probably even more so) in today’s world. The characters’ dialect and the interweaving of the Black Nationalist show more movement make this an authentic work for the time in which it was written. The way each chapter is written in a different character’s voice allows the reader to get various perspectives of Benji’s story and therefore a more truthful telling. I really became attached to Benji and, however naively of me, have to hope that he would come to terms with his addiction and realize how much his family cares about him. show less

This book was written in the early seventies and is pretty dated now, both in the attitudes of the characters and the way they talk. Modern-day high school kids may find it hard to relate to and I, a white girl from suburbia, found the Ebonics hard to understand.

However, the book definitely has its merits. I was impressed with the author's ability to create a multitude of narrators, none of them sounding too much like the other. The author also did an excellent job establishing the setting (which is why the book is so dated now) and the family love and friendship still shine. The ambiguous ending was well done, and those can be tricky. I would still recommend this for young adults, but in context -- perhaps in conjunction with other show more books set in the same period, or as part of a school unit covering civil rights and the black power movement of the sixties and seventies.

What you must understand is that this book is not really about drugs. Rather, it's about the affect Benjie's heroin addiction has on his family, his friends and his teachers. If you want to read about drugs, read Crank. (You should anyway; that's an awesome book.) If you want to read about the struggles of a working-class urban black family in the late sixties or seventies, read A Hero Ain't Nothin But a Sandwich. show less

This excellent book chronicles the story of 13 year old Benji's spiraling addiction to heroin and his inability to accept that he has a problem. The story is told from multiple views, including Benji, his stepfather, his mother, grandmother, friends, teachers, and even his drug dealer. It is a relatively realistic depiction of addiction and does not sugar coat. In the end everything does not turn out wonderfully, as often happens in books on teenage addiction. It is a wonderful book, probably for reluctant readers, ages 13-17 most likely will appeal. It is short and relatively easy to read, although it is written in some dialogue so it needs a little practice to get used to the lingo at first.

This book is told in the first person from various characters point of view. The focus of the book is on Benji a thirteen year old heroin addict. The story follows along as his family and teachers try to get him clean. The story ends without anyone really knowing it Benji is going to stay clean or not. I would recommend this book to teens ages 14-16.

This story of Benjie Johnson, a 13-year-old heroin addict, is a realistic and often raw account of the life of a child junkie. Each chapter is told from a different perspective: Benjie’s, his stepfather, his teacher, and his mother. The book is written in the exact words they would use; Benjie, in the opening lines of the book, says, “My block ain’t no place to be a chile in peace. … No, Jack, you on your own and they got they thing to do, like workin, or going to court, or seein after they gas and letrit bills, and they dispossess - or final notice, bout on-time payments - and like that, you dig?” This realistic representation of street life is often hard to read.

A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich is a novel about a teen Junkie named Benjie. Benjie thinks he can stop using drugs whenever he wants to, but what he doesn't realize is that he's hooked. His family, friends, and teachers share their accounts on living with a teen junkie. They're watching Benjie go from a responsible young man, to a deceiving dope head. They see Benjie's potential downfall, and his silent cry for help.

1973. A thirteen-year-old heroin addict in Harlem. Told in the voices of various characters. The main character, Benjie, his mother, stepfather, grandfather, best friend, teachers, etc. Benjie is convinced he's not an addict, but he keeps stealing from his family to get a fix. Pretty cool.