Tuesday, December 1, 2009
English 15.3: Coe Booth
This post is for my creative writing students.
Dear English 15.3,
Please write a question or comment for Coe Booth about her gripping, powerful novel TYRELL. We look forward to seeing her on Wednesday!
Marie
I really love this book, I couldn’t stop keep on reading because I wanted to know what was going to happen to Tyrell and his family. I also wanted to know if Tyrell is going to be end up with Novisha or Jasmine. I love each character in the story because they feel so realistic to me.
Is this story based on your experiences working with teens and families in crisis in the Bronx?
Why did you decided to start writing novels?
Is any of the characters in this story based on the people you know.
I’m really enjoying this novel. It has a kind of addictive quality that I think comes from how intensely realistic it is. My question is about how it has been received by audiences. Specifically, I was wondering if Booth dealt with any “harsher” judgement because of how real (un-sugar-coated) it is?
WOW! This book was great! As Samantha said, it really does have an addictive quality about it. I just couldn’t put it down. The story line with Tyler, his family, the 2 girls…it was all so gripping.
I guess I would want to ask the same question I want to ask all authors…how long did it take to write this novel?
What inspired Coe Booth to write about this? Was it an inciting incident from personal experiences, or just a strike of creativity?
I look forward to meeting Coe Booth!
Great book! TWO thumbs up!
This book is great! Tyrell is an interesting character to follow along the story. I
like how the story starts with Tyrell and Novisha presenting one problem in his life, then immediately jumps to another problem (the homeless situation), then forced to bunk in
Bennet, which is probably the grossest place I‘ve ever heard of, and eventually his relationship with his lazy mother and issues with his father all pile up to lead to his plan
to follow in his father’s footsteps: the parties he threw.
I wonder if Tyrell will indeed keep the parties sober. The route Tyrell is taking feels like the same one his father did (I‘m halfway finished with the story). Can he really make money without involving drugs and liquor? Is this one of those sins of the father passed down to the son theme? And what of Jasmine? The love triangle is getting complicated the more Tyrell justifies his actions of letting her touch him and then afterwards sleeping (not sex or groping) next to her while he has a girlfriend to alleviate her loneliness.
I love the book. It goes up on my book shelf.
I must say this has got to be one of the best children’s books Ive read. It feels so mellow but filled with so much drama in it. You can’t possibly put the book down. I felt alot of sympathy for Troy. He was the most loveable character and I wants so much more for him throughout the story. The way the story was written reminded me of the novel Push by Sapphire in which you can see and actually hear the exact way a character is talking and their educational background. I hate Jasmine for some reason so far as well as Tyrell’s mother. Tyrell is 2nd best- and I my heart goes out to him because in all due reality he doesn’t have to put with the way he gets treated by his mother. Love the book so far and can’t wait to finish tonight!
I loved this book. The second I picked it up I was hooked. Everything seemed so realistic and natural. What i loved most was the language and voice. Was that hard to write or did it come out naturally?
I wondered two things; first if this was based on a case or a friend; secondly if it was difficult to keep the language consistent.
I really enjoyed the book, but at times questioned how difficult it must have been to keep the slang going, and whether including it was even an issue for you at the beginning.
I really enjoyed reading the book. I am always curious about how writing such a book can allow such easy access to all readers.
The story is very real but my question would be, have you had any criticism for keeping it real so to speak. I can recall the harsh criticism received by Hurston for giving readers a very real portrayal of a world that many wanted to keep away from. I understand that was years ago but has that kind of criticism really changed today and is it coming from the African American community or from elsewhere?
Just finished reading the book, and I must say that this was a real thrill to read. I loved the natural flow of the story, I found my self emotionally invested in Tyrell’s life. I would love to incorporate these aspects in my own writing. Are there any tips or stratigies that You’ve used in wirting Tyrell. Like the others I wanted to know whether or not this story was based on a specific person that was in your life?
I really enjoyed this book especially the voice of Tyrell. I was wondering how many drafts there were prior to the final copy, to get Tyrell’s voice precise?
I really liked the book. I think Tyrell’s voice is strong and his character is extremely sympathetic.I love the way you make this character someone who is down to earth so readers are able to relate to him. My only question is; What are your opinions about adding sexual content to a young adult novel? Do you feel that is can have a negative effect or positive effect on young readers?
I REALLY LOVED TYRELL i feel like that i can relate to what he is going through.
Yes, TYRELL is awesome!