Playground by 50 Cent
Published by Quercus Fiction
By his own admission, the rapper 50 Cent has been no angel. A self-confessed bully, he has been ‘on the wrong side of the law’ – for drug-dealing from the age of 12, following the death of his mother, an addict herself. As a rapper, artist and producer, 50 Cent embodies the American Dream, rising from the depths to a level of success that seems impossible.
Now, as is the wont of artists today, he wishes to share with us part of his ‘journey’ through this novel Playground, inspired by his own early life. ‘Living life on the edge has taught me a lot, like the fact that being mentally strong will get you ahead’ reads the blurb. But this is exactly what this bleak but effective book demonstrates.
Butterball – fat, unwanted, unpopular – lives with his mother following her separation from his dad, a womanising blue-collar worker who sees his son just enough. The twist is that Butterball is the bully – vicious, rude, dehumanised – who tells his story through his sessions with a counsellor. We meet him after he has beaten up the book-loving Maurice – a former friend – and the reasons why are told in a patchwork that is woven through a series of events in his tough teenage life.
Our 13-year-old hero is unlikeable, but if you want an example of the effect bad parents have on children, this is it. The father’s pearls of wisdom –‘You want the world to treat you like a man, you gotta start acting like one. It’s a question of getting what you want …and just grabbing it.’ And he’s not talking about asking politely either.
Written ‘with Laura Moser’ with beautiful illustrations by Lizzi Akana, the book is simply written and Butterball’s voice is true, in the vernacular and uncompromising. I loved it – and I am sure your students will too – especially boys who might not want to pick up fiction.
ISBN: 1-78087- 330-5