Did any of the scenes move you to tears? To outrage?
As I wrote in my review, I have come close to tears but never have cried before. The ending just brought so many emotions to me and the tenderness of the story overcame me. As mentioned earlier, I was outraged when Snake killed Spike as well at the parole hearing - bunch of moralistic crerins.
When James was denied his parole, I was miffed. I felt he should have had an advocate to plead his case.
Being a dog lover, I cried when Spike got shot.
I was heartbroken and horrified about Spike getting shot. I was on pins and needles several times before that happened. I cried for both James and Spike. It was one of saddest parts of a book I’ve read.
I had so many emotions with this book. After many chapters I had to pause and think. When his dad died, Snake’s cruel actions, the death of Spike and his escape, I felt like I as on a roller coaster.
James’ mother’s death was the most emotional point for me, particularly where he’s consoled by other inmates. I liked that little slice of humanity.
Well of course I was upset and in tears when his dog was killed. Also I shed tears when his mother died. I was angry when as a boy he was sentenced to 30 years or life. I was very angry when he did not receive parole and was told it would be another ten years. He was an excellent prisoner and should have been freed after the 30 years.
The scene in which Black Snake killed Spike. It was so cruel and heartless. I wanted to be there to comfort James. Also, the scene depicting his parole hearing. I wanted James to be given his freedom, and still, I knew that the information that the board was given was incomplete and very damning. There was no evidence that Spike had been there. The gun only had James’ fingerprints and was also used to shoot at a gang member’s house. The horrifying brutality of Black Snake being shot three times in the mouth.
I was pretty angry at the Parole Board, and how hard they tried to keep James in the box. I would’ve thought it’d be a slam dunk, given California politics these days. I was actually shocked at how hardass they were
I was so sad when Spike was killed. I also cried for James when his Mom passed and he was not allowed to go to her funeral! I was overjoyed when he successfully got out of prison.
James’ mother’s death was the saddest for me.
Throughout this book I often found myself not only really moved but enraged. How could one not feel enraged when Snake killed Spike? James worked so hard at trying to walk the path to being successful despite his surroundings in Oakland. He had so many obstacles tossed his way. I live in the Bay Area and am well aware of the trials for Blacks living in Oakland. He was doing his best to not fall into a gang situation and this action stopped it cold. I also found it difficult to read the portion of the book that dealt with his mother’s death; I could feel his sadness when he could not attend her burial services. She was his last connection to the outside world. But when the parole board deny him release, I was really bummed, he had no one there as his advocate. What a blow, all his efforts in vain, I could understand his wanting to end it all. What did he have left, his dog is dead, his mother is dead, he had no one. At that point in the book, I had to stop reading and remove myself from the storyline for a few hours. I became even more curious as to how was this sad book going to end???