Jacob's Ghetto

You're not the product of your environment

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Pub Date 17 Aug 2019 | Archive Date 02 Nov 2019
Script Novel Publishing LLC | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles

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Description

Jacob, a bright 10-year-old African American boy with exceptional writing ability, seems to have a promising academic future ahead of him. But living on the south-side of Chicago, life at home is nothing but. He is living in a drug-infested community with a residence overrun with roaches that should be condemned. With an addict for a mother, who’s in a self-induced comatose state most of the time, he’s not in a situation that he can easily test out of.

Now of age where the gangs start to take notice, Jacob and his best friend Kenny have a brief run-in with Ja’heve. He is a brazen individual and second in command to a vicious gang known as “The Circle.” During the encounter, Ja’heve feels disrespected by Jacob’s refusal to join; he becomes furious and jealous of him and his intellect. He knows Jacob has the smarts to make it out of their hell hole of a neighborhood and vows not to let that happen.

One morning while taking the train, Kenny finds a folded-up form and hands it over to Jacob to read, being somewhat illiterate. It turns out to be an entry form for a writing contest with a handsome cash prize and book deal. Suddenly a light of hope pierces through Jacob like never before. No longer feeling abject, and with encouragement from Kenny, he believes that he can win the contest and move he and his mother out of the ghetto and start a new life.

Being continuously pursued and harassed by Ja’heve, Jacob’s daily survival becomes a deadly game of cat and mouse. He fears it’s just a matter of time before his picture ends up on the nightly news like so many other slain black kids before him. Jacob knows his time is short, but a chance is all he needs, and his will to survive is all he has.

Jacob, a bright 10-year-old African American boy with exceptional writing ability, seems to have a promising academic future ahead of him. But living on the south-side of Chicago, life at home is...


A Note From the Publisher

ISBN: 978-1-7325635-3-7 (Hardback)


ISBN: 978-1-7325635-4-4 (Ebook)

ISBN: 978-1-7325635-3-7 (Hardback)


ISBN: 978-1-7325635-4-4 (Ebook)


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781732563520
PRICE $12.99 (USD)

Average rating from 8 members


Featured Reviews

Written like a script for a movie this short novel gives insight in the life in the Ghetto from the point of view of a ten-year-old boy. It's a sad story full of hope.

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Jacob’s Ghetto
You’re not the product of your environment

by Travis Peagler

Script Novel Publishing LLC

Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members’ Titles

Christian , Teens & YA

Pub Date 17 Aug 2019

I am reviewing a copy of Jacob’s Ghetto through Script Novel Publishing LLC/Independent Book Publishers Association and Netgalley:

Jacob is a ten year old African American boy with an amazing writing ability, and a promising academic career, but his life is crushed by the poverty he lives in on the south side of Chicago, life at home is difficult he lives in the drug infested ghetto and dreams of using his gift of writing to get his family out of the Ghetto.

Now he is at the age where gangs start to notice him and he and his best friend Kenny have a brief run-in with Ja’heve. Ja’heve is a a brazen individual and second in command to a vicious gang known as “The Circle.” During the encounter, Ja’heve feels disrespected by Jacob’s refusal to join; he becomes furious and jealous of him and his intellect. He knows Jacob has the smarts to make it out of their hell hole of a neighborhood and vows not to let that happen.

While taking the train one morning Kenny finds a folded form and hands it over Jacob to read being somewhat illiterate. It ends up being an entry form for a writing contest with a handsome cash prize and book deal. Suddenly a light of hope pierces through Jacob like never before. No longer feeling abject, and with encouragement from Kenny, he believes that he can win the contest and move he and his mother out of the ghetto and start a new life.

Ja’heve continuously pursued and harassed Jacob to the point that Jacob’s survival becomes deadly game of cat and mouse. He fears it’s just a matter of time before his picture ends up on the nightly news like so many other slain black kids before him. Jacob knows his time is short, but a chance is all he needs, and his will to survive is all he has.

I was impressed with the plot line, though I found the chosen formatting to be distracting, but the storyline itself makes it worthy of five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

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