The Stars Beneath Our Feet

by David Barclay Moore

NPMS paperback 288 pages plus author's note

Published: 2017

Genre: YA realistic fiction

 

I picked this up because I was substitute teaching and finished the book I had brought with me. (It was a quieter day than usual.) Although I didn't find it as powerful as other urban books I've read, it was worth reading! 

 

Faves: the moments I tagged and blogged below . . . but overall, I'd say the characters and their arcs. I also liked that there were surprises for me as a reader.

 

Least Faves: the grammar! Even though the author purposely is using authentic "Black English," it's so hard for me to read things like "a apple" instead of "an apple." I'm kind of a dinosaur about this . . . 

 

Quick synopsis from the back cover:  "It all started with two garbage bags full of Legos. Or maybe it was Jermaine dying. Or that fight they had before 'Maine got shot. Lolly's having a hard time knowing how to be without his older brother around. Seems like he's either sad or mad. The thing that helps most is building. His mom's girlfriend gave him two huge bags of Legos, and Lolly's working on a project so big it outgrows his apartment. But there are dangers outside. Older guys who harass Lolly and jump him and his friend Vega. What would Jermaine want him to do? Get with a crew and take revenge? Or build a different kind of world for himself? Lolly's going to have to figure this one out on his own."

 

Page 46 - "I used to be angry like that. You gotta deal with anger, or anger will deal with you."

Social worker Mr. Ali brings Lolly in for "talks" that Lolly doesn't want. He stuffs his feelings instead of dealing with them. Mr. Ali's wisdom comes from experience. I like how Lolly pulls Mr. Ali's story out of him as their conversations continue and Lolly starts opening up.

Page 54 - "I didn't tell him the mouse had come with my new tablet. Afterward, I felt a little funny. I had been doing more and more stuff like this - mean stuff. It was getting easier and easier."

I thought it was kind of funny when Lolly freaked out his dad's newest girlfriend by pointing and saying he had seen a mouse. But when he talks about it being easier to be mean, I felt sad for kids who channel their emotions this way.

Page 60 - "'Be open,' he said. I'd rather keep closed. Nobody got me. Nobody cared. I felt sick and hot."

Even more than forty years later, I remember this feeling. As an adult, I know that it isn't true, yet it's what so many young people feel and believe. They're alone and no one understands what they're dealing with.

Page 65 - "Tonight I was so high up. A big blast could take me right over this edge. I wondered what it would feel like to fall. Bad thoughts. Bad memories."

This is another thing I remember - contemplating suicide. I don't think I was ever actually suicidal as a teenager, but I thought about how it would be if I died and how others would miss me or regret being unkind. I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about it, but I remember having these thoughts as Lolly did at the top of his building, looking down.

Page 91 - "Smoking cigarettes was like sucking on the exhaust pipe of a car with a running motor. I could hear everybody laughing. I felt so queasy. Why did people smoke, anyhow?"

Yes! It's so gross. I'm really glad it never appealed to me (and my friends didn't "make me" try it like Lolly's did).

Page 162 - "In the city room Vega sat on a upside-down pickle bucket playing his violin while he watched me and Rose build. He was still mad. And playing a sad song. In fact, Vega's music was making me sad even though I had been feeling all right before. It's funny how music can do that to you. I guess all art is like that. Making art, you can sure change people. Make them feel a certain way or think a certain way."

Great statement on the power of art! Music has often impacted my mood.

Page 213 - "I was surprised by how fast it fell. The construction had taken so long. The destruction didn't last any time at all. I guess it's quicker to tear down something than to build it up."

I've experienced this. You spend a lot of time building something (like a Lego tower or a sand castle) and it can be quickly destroyed! I also love the parallel with humans and relationships. That last line has a lot of wisdom in it.

Page 228 - "I wondered how different I would be if I'd grown up like that, surrounded by art all the time instead of Ma's Pez holders."

Nature and nurture! Those of us who were able to go to museums, parks, theatres, etc. as children have a definite advantage over those who don't have those opportunities.

Page 270 - "Breathing was about the only thing regular about how we lived."

Lolly and Vega are on a wall by the Harlem River. It's a pivotal scene and I don't want to give anything away. This is where my eyes are really opened to what it might be like for a young black male in an urban setting to try to figure out life . . . 

Page 287 - "It had to do with who he had started to roll with, I thought. The folks you hang out with can raise you up or bring you low. Over time, they can make you think a certain way - change who you really are. Jermaine didn't realize that, I guess."

The people you spend time with can raise you up or bring you low . . . no matter your age, race, or gender. I appreciate my friends!

Page 289 (Author's note) - "If you want to be a storyteller, it's important to understand other people's points of view. We often feel that we must say what we must say. It's also crucial, however, to listen to other voices. Listening, I think, is the best way to learn about those who differ from you. Reading is a form of listening."

Amen!