Safe Passage - Review

*I received a physical copy for Hear Our Voices Book Tours via Lee & Low Books. All reviews are my own.

It's been a little over a year since I last read Safe Passage by G.Neri, but the book entered my mind recently, and I figured I'd go ahead and write a review for it. Let's start by saying that the 'Chi-raq' era, a term coined to liken the violence in Chicago to that of war-torn Iraq, was a wild time. Every day, you would hear about murders, gang activity, gun violence, and the rising numbers in poverty within the Black community. Hell, it was once dubbed the Murder Capital in the U.S. In this graphic novel, G. Neri and David Brame tell a story about the realities of children navigating the streets by using 'safe passages' to reach their destinations alive and unscathed. But what happens when you go off the beaten path?

"Thirteen-year-old Darius is going through a rough time. It's almost been a year since a terrible act of violence took the life of his mother and left him with a wound both in his leg and in his heart. With his stepdad out of work; his little sister, Cissy, always on his case; and the looming prospect of foreclosure on their house, he feels his world closing in on him.

But Darius's best friend, Booger, has a plan. A Brinks armored truck has crashed on a nearby highway and money is blowing everywhere. If they can get across town and back safely, they just might get rich! But to do it, they need to cross through some of the most dangerous streets in Chicago, staying ahead of the gangs that rule those neighborhoods.

Before long, their adventures blow up on social media as Booger documents their search for riches, and everyone is after them. Can they get home without falling victim to the violence of the streets? Sometimes, on the streets of Chicago, there is no Safe Passage."

You know what I pulled from this story? It wasn't about the kids' very hood journey looking for a quick come-up and them finding their way back home. It also told small background stories of the people and the area. We see how a husband and a father struggles to not only find a job in the poverty-stricken area, but also with him being a newly single parent after tragedy strikes. We see that the homelessness in the city is not the typical mental health or laziness that people usually assume, but sometimes people are just down on their luck, trying to make ends meet with what little they have. It shows how much people care for themselves rather than helping others when they are in need. There was so much to unpack with this novel. Safe Passage revealed a harsh side to what real life is like when you don't have much, but you make it work by any means necessary.

Overall, I rated this book 4-stars. It's a coming-of-age book that would pair well with kids who are familiar with this life. The story isn't too far-fetched in today's world, and there are unfortunate realities that some people experience. I liked this book because it didn't stray from that reality. It's a damn shame safe passages had to be created for people to get home safely, but it was because of those safe passages that everybody was able to get home. This book is a poignant reflection of the social issues that continue to plague our communities, making it a relevant and essential read for anyone interested in these topics.

Safe Passage is available now!

#TheLittLibrarian #Review #GraphicNovel #YoungAdultLiterature