Book Review: You Don't Even Know Me

“Go forth and shine.” 
That is Sharon Flake’s message to each of her characters in You Don’t Know Me, a collection of short stories and poems about African-American teenage boys.
Her stories and poems   She crosses a wide spectrum of social environments, including inner-city Philadelphia and affluent suburbs.  No matter where her characters reside, they all face moral crises that will define their futures.
address the conflicting pressures that teenagers experience – from early love to family responsibilities, from fitting in to being yourself.

All on the cusp of adulthood, the boys in these stories recognize that they must make choices to become the person they wish to be.  Every challenge sends their moral compasses spinning, but so long as they maintain their integrity and self-respect, they will come through the fire, and not necessarily into a peaceful land.  The land beyond that fire will have more challenges, as well.  The only way to navigate the terrain is to have the courage and conviction to make the hard choices.
In the opening story, “Scared to Death,” sixteen-year-old Towe-Kaye is literally at the altar saying “I do” to his fiancé, Cindella (fifteen and pregnant).  Though he is ready to throw up from nerves, he does not want to run away.  Despite his father’s advice to give up the foolish notion of marrying his girlfriend, Towe-Kaye recognizes that he truly does love Cindella and does want to do right by her.  Yet in the backseat of the limo, on the way to the reception, he lets slip that he doesn’t want to be married.  What follows is a vulnerable moment of honesty and love between a boy and his father-in-law, who promises to stand beside him, no matter what.
In “Gettin’ Even,” a boy wants revenge against the person who murdered his grandfather for a pair of penny loafers.  Torn between exacting street-level justice and abiding by his grandmother’s wishes to leave it alone, the narrator must choose which path to take.  When two younger boys, Kareem and Llee, also fantasize about revenge, it becomes clear that they lack true comprehension of what that would entail.  Knowing that violence begets violence, the narrator learns that sometimes taking the high road is essential, if you wish to be a good role model for the next generation.
"To all who read and find my words,
I give you the light that they
all lit up in me." In “Fat Man Walking,” young Harvey and his obese father are heading to the store for a special pair of sneakers.  Along the way, Pops is subjected to disgusted stares and unspoken criticism.  Fiercely protective of his father, Harvey stays by his side every step of the way.  Only when he rushes ahead to the store does Harvey face a moment of independence from his father’s stigma.  But the relief is short-lived, because when Pops doesn’t appear, Harvey fears the worst and goes to find him.  Outside, he finds that Pops has collapsed and is now in the hands of caring strangers.  Love and loyalty are worth more than any status-ranked sneakers.
Flake is a great storyteller.  The story, “My Hood,” is wrought with energy and danger, but at its hearts is a love paean for a Philadelphia neighborhood:

“But if [my stepfather] saw Raven.  If he had that lady’s sweet potato pie, or if he saw all that money on the porch or those people line dancing and grilling in the dark, then he’d know why I love North Philly. … That’s why I like it, though – like living here, feeling the heat, watching people walking the streets – knowing that it ain’t all bad; ain’t all good, neither.  It’s just where I live.  My hood.”

What strikes me about the stories is how they address questions of integrity and self-respect without resorting to cloying sentimentality or preachiness.  Flake is a fine writer, focusing on the human aspect of every struggle, rather than on the message.  People are only as good as their convictions. Her characters are vibrantly alive with the immediacy of their choices.
The title, “You Don’t Even Know Me,” speaks to the assumption that African-American teenage boys are more invested in posturing than in deep contemplation.  But as Flake consistently reveals, her characters recognize that their lives are complex, so don’t write them off.  They are stronger than they realize, and in each story, they come to realize that the hard choices are the first steps into maturity.