Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty, by G. Neri (Illustrated by Randy DuBurke)

{March 4, 2011} Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty, by G. Neri (Illustrated by Randy DuBurke)

I was extremely excited to pick up my mail today and find a package from Lee and Low Books! Inside was a copy of Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty, which is Lee and Low Books’ debut graphic novel! The graphic novel is based on a true story of gang violence in Chicago, which rocked America to the core in the ‘90s. This is a very powerful non-fiction book, and the fact that it is in graphic novel format allows the reader to connect to the story in ways traditional novels do not. In 1994, on Chicago’s South Side, Shavon Dean was killed by a stray bullet shot by gang member Robert “Yummy” Sandifer. Shavon was fourteen years old. Yummy was only eleven. As America watched events unfold and the manhunt ensue, Yummy was ultimately hunted down and executed by his own gang.

Synopsis: “Eleven-year old Roger is trying to make sense of his classmate Robert “Yummy” Sandifer’s death, but first he has to make sense of Yummy’s life. Yummy could be as tough as a pit bull sometimes. Other times he was as sweet as the sugary treats he loved to eat. Was Yummy some sort of monster, or just another kid? As Roger searches for the truth, he finds more and more questions. How did Yummy end up in so much trouble? Did he really kill someone? And why do all the answers seem to lead back to a gang—the same gang to which Roger’s older brother belongs? This gritty exploration of youth gang life will force readers to question their own understandings of good and bad, right and wrong.”

Neri’s graphic novel looks deep into the atrocities that took place the fall of ’94. Yummy is told from the perspective of Roger, a fictional narrator, as he attempts to understand Yummy and the circumstances behind his death. Roger is an innocent, a representative of children everywhere, and as he reflects on Yummy’s life and the gang violence surrounding it, he asks important questions and makes stunning observations that only an innocent child could make. Roger is slow to judge or point a finger, asking pertinent questions about society and forcing the reader to weigh his/her responses carefully. This narration style is extremely beneficial to young adults. The simple prose and tone allow for a connection between the reader and the narrator, making the novel that much more powerful. The graphic art is both beautiful and intricate, and helps tell the story, while also allowing readers to draw their own conclusions and form their own perspectives. In the end, Roger leaves Yummy’s life and death open to interpretation, asking important analytical and hypothetical questions. Readers are forced to analyze the world as it is today, and decipher how to make it a better world for tomorrow. Five stars.