Kindness for Weakness

"In the spirit of [Walter Dean Myers's] Monster meeting The Catcher in the Rye, Goodman's masterful story will remain with the reader long after the last page, echoing the raw truth that perhaps a real man is one who is both brave and scared." -Ruta Sepetys, author of Between Shades of Gray


In an environment where kindness equals weakness, how do those who care survive?

Shawn Goodman will capture your heart with this gritty, honest, and moving story about a boy struggling to learn about friendship, brotherhood, and manhood in a society where violence is the answer to every problem.


A Tayshas Reading List Pick
An ALA-YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book

"Shawn Goodman takes us inside the gritty world of our juvenile justice system with the verve of a master storyteller." -Jordan Sonnenblick, author of Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie

"A gripping story of a boy's climb to manhood on his own terms." -Paul Volponi, author of The Final Four

"The reader will be seized by [the boy's] plight and his determination not only to survive, but to better himself." -Todd Strasser, author of Give a Boy a Gun

"Kindness for Weakness is a daring, dazzling leap into the dark passage that is the journey to manhood." -Paul Griffin, author of The Orange Houses

"Gripping action, gritty dialogue, vivid characters, and palpable tension permeate the brief chapters of James's powerful, honest, compelling narrative." -School Library Journal