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239th out of 294 books
—
971 voters
Little Boy Blue
Raised within the confines of a system that has done nothing but provide him with pain, Alex Hamilton's frustration and anger are completely natural--and inherently dangerous.
Since his parents split up, Alex has been constantly running from foster homes and institutions, yearning to be with his father, a broken man who cannot give his son the home he desperately needs. The...more
Since his parents split up, Alex has been constantly running from foster homes and institutions, yearning to be with his father, a broken man who cannot give his son the home he desperately needs. The...more
Paperback, 324 pages
Published
August 15th 1998
by St. Martin's Griffin
(first published 1981)
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Little Boy Blue By Edward Bunker
Damn this is one hell of a sad page turner of
hard Boiled crime fiction.
The book reminds me a lot of the Walker home for
Boys in the film Sleepers, as it deals in the
childhood of Alex Hammond whose parents split up
when he was young and then he's sent to various
foster homes and military schools and along the
way he just rebels and gets into rages and
trouble and well life goes from worse to evil
and beyond into a well worn path to a life in
crime and all by the...more
Damn this is one hell of a sad page turner of
hard Boiled crime fiction.
The book reminds me a lot of the Walker home for
Boys in the film Sleepers, as it deals in the
childhood of Alex Hammond whose parents split up
when he was young and then he's sent to various
foster homes and military schools and along the
way he just rebels and gets into rages and
trouble and well life goes from worse to evil
and beyond into a well worn path to a life in
crime and all by the...more
Il paradiso della libertà era nebuloso, per lui, come il paradiso di Dio.
Un libro che s'è salvato dalle due stelline non so neanche io come. Sono sempre molto riluttante a dire "duecento pagine in meno avrebbero sicuramente giovato", ma questa volta è davvero così. Dopo un certo punto non c'è nient'altro di interessante da leggere. Succedono sempre le stesse cose, ma con una monotonia e noia tali da rendere indigestibile la lettura, non fosse per lo stile fluido e passabile.
Di cosa stiamo parlan...more
Un libro che s'è salvato dalle due stelline non so neanche io come. Sono sempre molto riluttante a dire "duecento pagine in meno avrebbero sicuramente giovato", ma questa volta è davvero così. Dopo un certo punto non c'è nient'altro di interessante da leggere. Succedono sempre le stesse cose, ma con una monotonia e noia tali da rendere indigestibile la lettura, non fosse per lo stile fluido e passabile.
Di cosa stiamo parlan...more
One of Bunker's best, maybe the best. This chronicles (in slightly fictionalized form) the author's childhood and as such it provides a fascinating glimpse at a vanished world: Los Angeles in the 1930-late 50'. Zoot suits and everything in-between!
Alexin tarina on suorastaan surullinen, mutta kieltämättä kiinnostava osoitus siitä mihin varhaiskypsän ja äkkipikaisen nuoren miehen tie voi johtaa, kun hänen intonsa suuntautuu ennemminkin rikolliseen maailmaan kuin mihinkään yleishyödylliseen. Olen pitkään ihmetellyt Liken ”rikos kannattaa”-sarjan kirjojen ideaa, mutta ”Kovan onnen poika”-kirjassa ajatus ainakin hetkellisesti toteutuu ajatuksena, johon Alex itsekin viittaa: kiinnijäämisestä huolimatta hetken aikaa rikos on saattanut hyvinkin...more
Much better than his autobiography, and quite similar, as much of Alex's character is derived from Bunker's own life. I'd like to know what made Bunker stay out of prison after years of the same cycle of crime, time, parole/escape, repeat. I'm guessing it was his burgeoning literary career, but he never really mentioned it in the autiobio, which focused more on his first thirty-some years.
I really enjoy the way that Eddie Bunker writes. He has a concise and oftentimes brutal, simplistic style that jibes very well with his usual subject matter: crime, delinquency, and anger. The protagonist of this story, Alex, is an extremely relatable character. I don't mean that I've been through the same institutions and bouts of random violence that he undergoes in the book, but I know exactly the sort of all-encompassing, incoherent rage that the character feels. The fact that Alex isn't stu...more
This was tough for me. One one hand, I really like the way Bunker writes. He writes with a nice pace...not too fast, not too slow. And there were some wonderfully constructed sentences in there. Memorable stuff. But altogether, I started getting a little bored. Things just seemed so gut-wrenchingly chronological for some reason. I ended up not getting excited to finish it. But I can see why people would like Bunker. Maybe this one just seemed like a dud to me. Who knows?
I liked the text and description parts about the jail. Nothing to complain, but it didn't really have a big impact on me either.
This read transported me into the mind of a kid growing up in the criminal system in California in the 50's.
A painful read. It's hard not to feel for this kid as the system fails him at every single juncture. The prose is matter-of-fact, which makes it hit all the harder.
I could read Edward Bunkers crime stories endlessly.
Harsher than the autobiography- fascinating and fantastic!
A little slow to start, but once the boy falls from grace he becomes a criminal quickly. I wonder how close this was to Edward's life.
Thought provoking, and very depressing.
Apr 08, 2008
Cara
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
wanna-be criminals, lovers of fighters
Recommended to Cara by:
Josh
When you combine the "qualities" of a young criminal mind, hard time, trying to play it cool and learning to love the written word, you get Edward Bunker. You might know him as the head boss in Reservoir Dogs. I know him as my favorite true-crime author. This book is a fictionized tale of his life as a young riff-raffer/n'er-do-well. Try and put this book down--I dare you--engrossing to put it lightly.
Ricordo ancora di aver passato le notti a leggere questo libro; mi immedesimavo nel giovane Alex e mi addormentavo arrabbiato con il mondo. Davvero bravo E. Bunker a trasmettere le emozioni di chi vive soprusi e ingiustizie.
Bunker will show u the way to become a criminal, and what it takes to get there...He begun writing while convicted in San Quentin, which means his is no fiction work!
P.S. He played Mr Blue in Reservoir dogs.
P.S. He played Mr Blue in Reservoir dogs.
it's interesting to know this book was written by a prisioner. you get enveloped into the world of a child and crime and it's like a trainwreck
a pretty ok one, at that. the author is very discriptive
a pretty ok one, at that. the author is very discriptive
so far this it a good book you know and then you don't know where the book is going to go next i am looking forward to how it will end for him finished it and it was rely good
few words can describe the amazing situation Edward found himself into...but lots are spent to describe the awful consequences ...
This is my favorite of Bunker's fiction. it was the first book I read of his and it definitely stayed my favorite.
May 14, 2013
Mauricio
marked it as to-read
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Edward Heward Bunker was an American author of crime fiction, a screenwriter, and an actor.
He wrote numerous books, some of which have been adapted into films.
Bunker was a bright but troublesome child, who spent much of his childhood in different foster homes and institutions.
He started on a criminal career at a very early age, and continued on this path throughout the years, returning to prison...more
More about Edward Bunker...
He wrote numerous books, some of which have been adapted into films.
Bunker was a bright but troublesome child, who spent much of his childhood in different foster homes and institutions.
He started on a criminal career at a very early age, and continued on this path throughout the years, returning to prison...more
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