Underprivileged Overachiever

Salimu’s memoir is a well-written, timely, and important addition to this genre. The book describes the day to day challenges of life as a homeless teen in Los Angeles. Readers expecting a sad Oliver Twist tale will instead find a confident, talented protagonist who continually defies low expectations and inspires those around him. Salimu’s warm sense of humor makes the book a joy to read, but is best experienced via a very professionally produced audiobook. I’m a bit of an audiobook narrator snob, but Salimu is an excellent narrator with a ton of personality. Salimu is very honest about mistakes and personal flaws, but is continually trying to improve and become the best version of himself. Masculinity plays an important role as he discovers and rediscovers what it truly means to be a man. The book reminds the reader the importance of not judging those around you because you have no idea what they are going through.

Younger readers should be advised that the book contains some mature content.

Above all, this book was written with a sense of honesty.. Salimu discusses his numerous influences that shaped him and his youth, recognizes his own shortcomings, and is vulnerable in his reflections. Because the narrator for the audiobook is the author, listeners can experience yet another dimension of this sense of honesty. There are definitely parts that seem a bit more explicit than perhaps necessary to further the narrative, but never for shock value or otherwise nefarious purpose. Calling this book "inspirational" feels almost patronizing, but Salimu's persistence is admirable. It also addresses numerous themes such as masculinity and ambition with diverse perspectives. It is a book for more mature teen and adult audiences, but is a great addition to collections.

received an except of the audio book version of the book from Netgally in exchange for an honest review.

This compelling and gripping autobiography is written with the heart of a fighter! Absolute love the flow of the book though I felt the younger Yohance felt too grown up I had to remember that this kid was forced to grow up because it is what happens when people living in underprivileged circumstances wants to do better.

I’m not very familiar with the whole Biography or autobiography genre as a whole but I really enjoy this one as it’s told as a novel rather than a documentary. As it’s a coming of age story I think a lot of people would really enjoy his it. and I think it might bring some motivation into the reader’s minds.

I felt all his ups and downs and I had to stop a couple of times as there’s a part where he encounters a woman called Rachel that just made me so angry and sad at the same time.

Note that Y.A Salimu deals with racism, poverty, drug used and a plethora of opportunities to take an easy road this man didn’t take the easy road. He succeeded and created some good for himself his family and community.

The narrator of the book has a very balmy voice and manage to bring Salimu’s character to life.
No complaints about the book other than I felt there was gaps or jumps between the chapters and sometimes I felt there was information missing.

On my Top 10 of the year for sure!

This is a phenomenal audiobook, and I really recommend experiencing as an audiobook as opposed to reading. The story is narrate by the author and the organic rhythm and tempo would be lost by simply reading the book. I am a little surprised it is classified as "Teen and YA" because it does cover a lot of mature topics. However, this is the author's story so maybe it would be a great conversation starter with young readers. Finally, I love how the author begins this book by admitting his hubris and humor. Highly recommend.

Share this with fans of Jason Reynolds.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I do not even know where to begin with this book. Underprivileged overachiever is an unapologetic memoir of Yohance (rhymes with Beyoncé, starts with a Y, like he says), where he tells us how his life was before becoming who he is now. He grew up being poor, but that did not stop him to fight against all odds and achieve what he wanted. It is narrated by Y. A. Salimu, the author, which made things 100 times better, because he knows exactly how to read each part to put enfasis on what is more important, and his acting of other people got me out of the misery i felt while i was listening some of the stories he tells us here.
This book made me really sad quite a few times, i am not going to lie, it is a hard book to read/listen, because is raw, realistic and makes us see a life that most of us would never think about having to go through. Yohance tells us how he had to sleep in shelters, in his friends´s houses, in the stairs of his school and even on a bus stop, how he had to work triple as hard as everyone else, not only in school, but in extracurricular clubs, sports and life basically. But it also made me laugh a lot of times, and as the story kept developing, i found myself rooting for Yohance and everyone who was having a rough time in the story, because that is what he achieved in this story, that we care about everyone who has ever helped him and believed in him, almost as much as we care about him.
This memoir is a wake up call to everyone, to whoever thinks can't do what they want; Yohance shows us that if we want something badly enough and we are willing to fight for it, almost anything is possible.
It is very well written and i am definitely going to read to his next book because i know it is going to be as good as this one.
I can't recommend this book to any group in particular, it is not the type of books you recommend to someone who likes X types of books, or has X years old, because everyone, and i repeat, EVERYONE must read this book.
There is one thing that Yohance says and is "The enemy was poverty, hunger and scarcity, not each other", and i think is one of the best quotes of the book, and it shows exactly how i felt throughout the whole book.

Yohance Salimu narrates this, his autobiography, and shares some of the challenges he overcame growing up in poverty with his mentally unstable mother in L.A.
Simultaneously a talented storyteller and a young man coming of age, his story occasionally shifts from gripping novel to raw ego, putting the reader right there in the city with him. Throughout the story, I found myself hoping and cheering and pushing for him to persevere, to get a break, to feel recognized. I couldn’t put it down, finishing it in one sitting.

I listened to the audiobook version of this memoir thanks to NetGalley. The audio is wonderfully narrated by the author, Yohance Salimu. I loved listening to his voice as he told his story. Yohance grew up in poverty and slept in homeless shelters throughout high school. In spite of constant battles with hunger, trying to provide for his mentally ill mother and his younger brothers, struggling to complete homework on a phone because he didn't have a computer, and other challenges, he not only preserved, he excelled. His story was tough to listen to at times, but it made me laugh at others. I wanted this book to be a good fit for my middle school students, but there was a lot of swearing and a traumatic incident which make it better suited for high school students.

Underprivileged Overachiever is the classic underdog victory tale. And what a tale it is! Yohance describes his childhood and teenage years, living with his Mother who had mental health problems, growing up in extreme poverty, not knowing when he would get his next meal, becoming homeless, dealing with gangs, drug use, rape, and racism. All of that on top of growing up, being a teenager in a harsh society, trying to get an education, and trying to build a path for his future! What Yohance went through is heartbreaking. But what shocked me even more was that on listening to Yohance narrate his own audiobook he told his story very matter of factly. As if it was all a normal part of life. And I guess it was normal for him but it shouldn't have been. No child or young person should have to go through what he did. To have one of those challenges in life would be difficult enough to deal with but it just seemed that it was one thing after another for him and I honestly don't know how Yohance survived and became the man he is today. His resilience and determination was incredible but he shouldn't have had to suffer the way he did. I really hope that his memoir helps to open the eyes more of people who work in a position where they have contact with children and teens so that they can try to spot vulnerable kids who are struggling and put the right help and support in place.

This was good. I was put off by the beginning, but it picked up! This was a pretty amazing story. However, I don't think I'll be picking up his next book. #UnderprivilegedOverachiever #NetGalley

Salimu's narration of his own story is powerful. Underprivileged Overachiever is an unapologetic memoir, but I think more importantly, a life model for anyone in a remotely similar situation to Salimu. Hindsight enables Salimu to create a coherent self-narrative that creates connections between each positive decision he made - in the face of great adversity - in his early life. Particularly effective to this end is his articulation of his "inner voice", as well as designating certain figures in his life as "mentors" and amplifying their guidance accordingly. As such, he implicitly teaches his reader to seek out and engage with these influences in a helpful way. This is not a book about poverty or race or education or love, although these themes feature heavily, it is one man's personal story.

Powerful, thought-provoking, important and at times difficult memoir by Yohance (pronounced like Beyonce, but with a Y) Salimu. (CN for sexual assault, violence)
Growing up black and homeless in LA, the book primarily deals with the authors teenage years and his ability to overcome and excel in spite of everything he's been through. I applaud Salimu's honesty in sharing his experiences, especially being the victim of sexual assault. Men are actually more likely to be sexually assaulted, than to be falsely accused of committing sexual assault, yet too often only the latter is spoken of. True strength lies in speaking about these things, in knowing that it doesn't diminish your masculinity.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author himself and he did an excellent job (and I really appreciated being able to hear the pronunciation of his name, as a non-native English speaker I have more than once been caught out by words not being pronounced how they are written). Sometimes when authors read their own work it can feel forced, doesn't flow right, but that wasn't the case at all here. It feels more like Salimu is telling you the story, rather than reading from a script. You can sense both passion, and vulnerability in the words, which really added to the overall impact compared to just reading it yourself. Having the audiobook available also makes the book more accessible to people who might not be confident readers themselves.
Definitely recommend Underprivileged Overachiever, and if you can I would go for the audiobook.

Great book. Hits differently as I know the author personally but even for the people who don't know author, this book will be a good read!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for approving me for the audiobook ARC for this book so I can leave my honest review.

I can honestly say, listening to this memoir being told by the author himself had my husband and I completely SHOOK. Learning about Yohance and his family was one of the most heartbreaking books that I think I've read this year so far. Being underprivilaged is no joke, homelessness is no joke, sexual abuse, and abuse in general is nothing to joke about. Hearing his story going from living in The Place and staying with friends, he did everything he could to make it to the top. never gave up, never looked back. Yohance made a real difference in his life for not just himself but he did it for his younger brother and helped pave the road for him and others on the robotics team.
Thank you for taking the time to tell your story, even though it was filled with sadness and heartbreaking situations. Knowing that he gave his all is what makes this book a 5 star read. I truly hope he writes the other 2 he has planned.