Fist Stick Knife Gun

Fist Stick Knife Gun 

by Geoffrey Canada, Adapted by Jamar Nicholas

Bibliographic Information: Canada, Geoffrey. Adapted by Jamar Nicholas. Fist Stick Knife Gun:  A Personal History of Violence. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2010. Paperback. 
ISBN13: 978-0-8070-4449-0. $14.00 US. 124 pages. 

Awards:

• Story of The Year Award Winner at The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention
• Rising star award for Jamar Nicholas at The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention
• Best Male Character Winner at The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convection

Annotation: Adapted from Geoffrey Canada’s memoir of the same name, this graphic novel tells Geoff's story about growing up in the South Bronx with his single mother and three brothers. He learned about violence at an early age and tells his story of dealing with escalating gang violence in New York from the late 1950s to the 1970s. A great book for a school or public library, this is best for young adults ages 15 to 18. 

Open Ended Booktalk: How can Geoff and his young siblings defend themselves against neighborhoods thieves and bullies if they’ve never fought before? How can they fit in with the other kids on Union Street if they don’t act tough and learn to fight? This tense story will keep you hoping that Geoff remains unharmed and that he and his brothers can leave the violence behind. That’s hard to do when you live in the South Bronx in the 60s. When his brother’s coat is stolen, Geoff watches as his mother forces his two older brothers to go out and face the thief.  This is the brothers’ first brush with violence. When they return with the coat, Geoff begins to realize how much power courage, fear, and fists can have over others.  Even when Geoff leaves for college in another state, his violent past follows and makes what could be a very dangerous decision. In a community overrun with violence, will Geoff ever be able to give up his Fist Stick Knife Gun?

Useful Links: 
Click here to follow the process of taking Geoffrey Canada's memoir from print to graphic novel. You can also read the first 13 pages. 

You can also view the talented Jamar Nicholas' blog here. 

Young Adult Interview: 

Kay R.- I’ve read one before for a class, I forget which one, but I’m not a big fan. It was a steampunk thing. I don’t like having to look at the pictures and then read. I’d rather go through and read something that’s more lengthy. I like to read novels in general, I love fantasy. I’m a big fantasy person, but I like memoirs too sometimes. - 20 years old