Little Boy Blue

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: A searing roman a clef from the author of Dog Eat Dog which also does a good job of showing LA, circa 1943-45. The book traces the path of an 11-year old boy, from social service homes, through the various levels of the juvenile criminal system until the inevitable tragic end. This depressing accelerated transition from childhood to teenager is convincingly presented. Bunker is clearly writing many of the episodes in the book from personal experience, and each of the shifting cast of supporting characters are well-drawn individuals. It's a gripping story and although much has changed in the social service system since this time, yet many of the problems and attitudes shown in the book remain.

Rating:
Summary: it could happen to you
Review: All I can say is that "Little Boy Blue" is a blueprint for how a troubled boy can be transformed into an adult sociopath. Ironically, the system that is supposed to reform him is the culprit in pushing him toward further hopelessness and delinquency. Alex Hammond is basically a good kid with good instincts who is battered by authority until he lashes out and becomes submerged in hatred. There are many instances when he can choose between obedience and rebellion, and even though he inevitably decides to rebel, he often seems to have little choice. Frustration with a dictatorship of adults who have little patience or tolerance for the special needs of this disturbed boy sends him hurtling on a collision course with tragedy. Especially troubling is the scene where Alex is placed with relatives who are inflexible in their method of discipline--he seems to be making slight progress when a fabricated lie shoves him back down the mudslide. Here Alex actually shows a hint of conscience--or has he simply gained dominance over the aggressor? The harrowing course of his life is told in uncompromising, brutally-honest terms. Every professional involved in rehabilitating children should own a copy of this book. It chronicles the downfall of innocence, introducing a doomed child whose life is always threatened by an undercurrent of depression.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: Eddie Bunker paints a vivid piture of the justice system in and around the war, in Los Angeles. Bunker, in and out of prison since the age of 17, writes very much from personal experience and this comes across in the book. Ex-con, Bunker, places you in the head of Alex Hammond, who's desire for the better things in life are prevented by the justice system that seems such an INJUSTICE to the youngster. An unforgettable story, and a 'must buy' book.

Rating:
Summary: another solid book
Review: I had only read Edward Bunker's 1st novel before I was arrested for armed robbery and I had this book sent in to me when I was in Snohomish County Jail awaiting sentencing and it gave me a strange courage when I read it. Edward Bunker is the real deal.
Nobody can touch him in terms of understandng and experience. Prison is like war; you can never understand it unless you've experienced it firsthand.Most people will never have to endure what Eddie Bunker(and me) have had to endure but because Bunker is so talented, they can get a little taste by picking up any one of his books; I've read them all and they're uniformly awesome. Edward Bunker is my hero. My first book STONE HOTEL was strongly influenced by him. I think he's the greatest.

Rating:
Summary: Societys Underdogs - Not for sqares- Brings back memories
Review: I have read all of Bunkers books and love this one . A story of a boy and the cycle of a life of crime , and desperation... if youve been there you know already. So there is hope out there a way out of the darkness.. Read all his books.. real gritty gangsta ..

Rating:
Summary: it could happen to you
Review: If you appreciate crime fiction that is firmly rooted in reality, the upbringing of Alex Hammond as told by Bunker is stark, sad and brilliantly told.

The product of a broken LA home in the forties, Hammond's world is one of petty crime, reform schools and not so petty crime; a sequential stream of vignettes that inevitably leads from 'gladiator school' to big-time crime and (of course) prison.

All of Bunker's books are outstanding... and I'm awaiting my Amazon shipment of 'Education of a Felon' with baited breath. It will be interesting to contrast 'Little Boy Blue' with the non-fictional account of his life.