Review: Jacob’s Ghetto by Travis Peagler

Rising above adversity is the powerful theme in Jacob’s Ghetto, the emotionally-charged story written by Travis Peagler for middle-grade and young adult readers.

Ten-year-old Jacob Kingsman was born with the cards of life definitely stacked against him. Living in the notoriously tough south side ghetto of Chicago, Jacob’s mother is a junkie who does nothing to provide the daily necessities for him, forcing Jacob to ask the owner of the corner market for a banana every day so that he has something to eat at night.

He and his best friend, Kenny, are harassed by Ja’heve, second in command of the Circle, a vicious gang that controls their neighborhood. In Jacob’s world, someone is murdered every day and falling asleep to the sounds of gunshots is the norm. Jacob prays that things will get better and pours his hopes and miseries into his journal every day.

Despite his dire circumstances, Jacob thrives at school, eventually confiding in his teacher his desire to become a writer. She’s so moved by her best student’s circumstances that she slips a packed lunch into his backpack every day so that Jacob has food to eat every night. Then one night, Jacob’s mother, Keisha, finds God and begins to straighten out her life, even going so far as to look for a job, where she runs into her former flame, Keenan, now the director of the local job center.

With his sights on entering and winning a writing contest, Jacob begins to believe that God had heard his prayers. Then the unthinkable happens. Kenny offers himself up to the Circle so they stop harassing Jacob and someone tries to kill his mother. Suddenly, Jacob has no choice but to fight back in order to save those he loves the most in his life…

Peagler has written a most compelling story in Jacob’s Ghetto in an unusual format he’s called “script novel” – part screenplay and part traditional novel. While the story has the scene headings and dialogue that is typical for a screenplay, the transitions don’t always flow, coming across as choppy, which is the main mark against the novel. It gets points for an innovative construction, but the unique format isn’t always effective.

However, Jacob’s incredible story immediately draws you in, thanks to the author’s talent for portraying authentic imagery and credible colloquial dialogue. Peagler effortlessly conveys the constant danger that follows Jacob in his daily life as he’s left to fend for himself, both at home and on the streets. The characterization of the vicious Ja’heve, who is determined to kill Jacob, adds an element of danger, while the inexplicable benevolence of the gang’s leader toward Jacob also adds interest to an already irresistible story.

Jacob’s Ghetto wouldn’t be the story it is if not for its main protagonist. It’s Jacob’s intelligence that sets him apart from other children, but it’s his unwavering determination to make something of his life and to take himself and his mother out of their ghetto neighborhood that is truly remarkable – a story that manages to be inspiring without being treakly or sentimental, exemplifying its subtitle: “You’re not the product of your environment.”

All told, Jacob’s Ghetto is a many-faceted, emotional story that will leave readers rooting for its lead character until its satisfying conclusion.