Miracle's Boys

Miracle’s Boys by Jaqueline Woodson is a true story of brotherhood. This is a novel about three brothers Ty’ree, Charlie, and Lafayette who have lost both their mother (who died in her sleep from insulin shock as a result of diabetes) and their father when they were much younger when he was attempting to save a woman who fell through thin ice. We find out later in the book that Ty’ree was there to witness his fathers death, and the youngest brother Lafayette was the one who found his mother dead in bed. After Ty’ree admits this to Lafayette that he saw his father die, they became a lot closer. These two were also a lot closer because Charlie was not at home. He was sent away to a juvenile delinquent center. Charlie is the stereotyped “thug” of sorts, and was beat up by a gang, and his trouble on the streets sent him away. There is conflict between the brothers as well since Charlie blames Lafayette for not catching his mother before she died. This book overall is a coming of age story of three brothers who have to learn to live without their mother, and learn how to take care of themselves as well as one another.

I enjoyed this story, but did not love it. It took me a while to get into it, and I was not able to relate to it. However, this novel has gotten critical acclaim, won the Coretta Scott King award, and was even turned into a T.V. movie. This novel defiantly qualifies as a piece of diverse literature. The boys mother is Puerto Rican while their father is African American. Therefore the brothers come from two different backgrounds. However, there is not much discussion in the novel about how this affects them. We do occasionally see other people’s reactions to them when they go out, but other than that, the focus of the book is their lives, their history according to them. Even though Woodson portrayed a negative stereotype in the story (Charlie), she also made Ty’ree a positive role model. Ty’ree was extremely smart and would have gone to college, but had to stay home, get a job, and take care of his family when his mother died. His dream is to work for NASA, and plans on continuing those dreams ones Lafayette grows up. However, the character Charlie is a stereotypical troublesome African American teen. He gets in trouble by joining a gang, because he feels that it is his family. We hear so many times that this is why young adolescents get involved with gangs, so that they can feel as if they belong. This is why he gets sent to a juvenile delinquent center. However, when he gets out, he has changed a bit, and tries to be a positive member of his family. I think it’s important that she included both in the story, so that she is more representative of a group than just one stereotype.

Book Information: Woodson, Jaqueline . Miracle's Boys. Puffin Books, 2000.
ISBN: 0-698-11916-9