I was so incredibly moved by his feelings for that patch of ground that the wheels of a storyline began turning in my head, eventually evolving into Miles and Pop's personal and physical journey in Hurricane Song. I was watching the news coverage when a local musician gave his account of braving the conditions in the street to see what had happened to a favorite jazz club in which he regularly played. I really liked that! He doesn't ignore these events and they are important and big in the book, but Volponi is also SO good at the emotion and impact.Home Articles on Paul Biography/Awards Facebook Instead of concentrating the book on the events of the hate crime, the brutality of of the beating and the court case, Volponi's writing is about the emotions, the impact of events on individuals and the larger group.

Both sides are so angry and the results are devastating. Volponi draws the reader in with the hatred shown on both sides, black and white. In this book the issue of hate crimes and racism are in the fore front.

When I read his books I really feel like I understand the teens and what they are going through. I did know that Volponi writes about the lives of urban teenagers. I didn't re-read the summary and so had no idea what the book was about. I had already read Volponi's Black and White and really enjoyed it so I knew I would like this book. Does that make sense? This means that I am really surprised by the books I am reading and Paul Volponi's Response was no exception. Now I read the summary and add a book to my TBR list and I don't read the book for months sometimes! When I go to read the book I don't re-read the summary because I know I am looking forward to the book. I used to read the back of the book (or the inside flap) and then read the book within a few days. Review: Now that I am blogging and have a really long TBR list I realize that I approach books differently. Was the attacker protecting his turf, or did he target Noah just because he's black? Instead, Noah, a teen father, is the victim of a vicious beating that leaves him with a fractured skull. Summary (from the inside flap): Noah and his friends go to a nearly all-white neighborhood with a plan: steal a car, sell it to a chop shop, and make some fast cash.

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my school's library

Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi