A novel about violence and death, about family and survival, about gangs and drugs, and the way the seduction of wealth can prey on teens offers hope as well as despair. Walter Dean Myers takes a hard look at what many young black boys face as they enter adolescence in depressed urban environments. Jesse is writing and drawing the “autobiography” of his best friend and blood brother, Rise, whose choices are beginning to take him down a dangerous path. A talented artist, Jesse expresses himself and his anxieties about the boys’ deteriorating friendship in striking comic art and doodles (created by Christopher Myers) as well as in his descriptions of the waste that he sees in the streets of Harlem. While the action scenes of the story are strong, the most unique aspect of this novel is the connection between the art and text. Jesse’s sketches are moving portraits of the people in his life. His comic panels offer a deeper look at his hopes, fears, and unanswered questions. In addition to Jesse and Rise, Walter Dean Myers has a number of keenly developed secondary characters. The boys who do seem to make it through the minefield of gangs and violence with their lives and identities in tact are those that have something tangible to work for. For Jesse, it is his art. For another boy, CJ, it is his love for music. The Myers’s use art to cleverly tell the story of the power of art and passion to sustain. (Ages 13–17)

A powerful National Book Award Finalist from the acclaimed, bestselling author of Monster. "This novel is like photorealism; it paints a vivid and genuine portrait of life that will have a palpable effect on its readers." (School Library Journal starred review)

With Harlem as its backdrop, Autobiography of My Dead Brother follows the diverging paths of best friends Rise and Jesse. When Rise becomes engulfed in gang activity and starts dealing drugs, Jesse, a budding artist, tries to make sense of the complexities of friendship, loyalty, and loss in a neighborhood plagued by drive-by shootings, vicious gangs, and an indifferent juvenile justice system.

The innovative first-person storytelling, along with cartoons and photos, pulls in readers and makes Autobiography of My Dead Brother a strong and thought-provoking choice for sharing in a classroom or at home.

"Though the story is starkly realistic, there is always hope in the gifts of Jesse the artist and C. J. the musician, of schools and churches and of caring parents." (Kirkus)

"Touching and impactful, Autobiography cannot fail to intrigue, and hopefully influence youngsters with its poignant statement of two roads taken." (Judges' Citation, National Book Award)