Pigeon English

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Mr. Frimpong is an elderly member of Harri’s church congregation, presumably also a Ghanaian immigrant. He is very religious and an enthusiastic singer of hymns. The Dell Farm Crew (and an unwilling Harri) rob… Harri loves science, birds, and running in the rain. He has many friends, a "special pigeon" who watches over him, and a girlfriend, Poppy Morgan. Harri lives surrounded by violence and discrimination, but he often overlooks danger. He and his friend Dean investigate the murder of a Year 11 boy and have several run-ins with the Dell Farm Crew. At the end of the text, Harri's former friend, Jordan, stabs and kills Harri. The Dead Boy

Someone sets the local playground on fire, but firemen arrive and put the fire out. On the last day of school, Harri watches with delight as the Year 11 kids celebrate their newfound freedom. He and Poppy hold hands, and she kisses him. Harri runs home, shouting his love for Poppy, the pigeons, and the trees. When Harri is almost home, a boy jumps out and stabs him. Harri begins investigating the dead boy's murder because he feels an inexplicable connection with the murdered teen. Though they never spoke, Harri knew the dead boy by sight and observed his talents, like playing basketball and riding "his bike with no hands." Harri defines his relationship with the dead boy by calling him a friend, "even if he didn't know about it." By calling the dead boy a "friend," Harri indicates that he identifies with the boy; he hoped to be like the dead boy, and the latter's death leads him to understand that anyone can suffer senseless violence. Harri struggles to understand why he feels loss and trauma over the boy's murder even though they were not close. Julius is Auntie Sonia's violent and abusive partner. He is known for his baseball bat, called "the Persuader," which he uses to beat people who are late repaying their debts. Julius sexually harrassed Auntie Sonia in front of her family and beats her. Poppy MorganTo sum up, it's really an interesting book and a tear-jerker strangely, for one so politically relevant. But a warning - it might annoy some American readers with a lot of unfamiliar words and different accents. These words are also unfamiliar to a lot of British people not living in that area but there are so many accents and dialects in the UK - English is a less homogenous language than in the US maybe - that it doesn't really annoy anyone. The book is especially recommended to those who haven't forgotten the way the police and judiciary treated the murder of Damilola Taylor, whom this book is obviously about, may the little boy RIP. I like Man Booker books. I like reading them. But every once in a while, I can't help but think some of them are just overrated. Lydia’s friend Miquita comes over and claims that it was the dead boy’s own fault for getting killed because he shouldn’t have been “fronting.” Harri tells her that she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Later, Harri asks his friend Dean if he thinks Miquita is right.

The book is filled with energy-explosively light and dark by turns as Harrison struggles his way through the school year mixing childhood play with adult struggles that he cannot begin to really understand.I wonder what Heaven is really like. Is it different for kids than for grown-ups. Like would there still be somebody there telling him to come in As the victim's nearly new football boots hang in tribute on railings behind fluorescent tape and a police appeal draws only silence, Harri decides to act, unwittingly endangering the fragile web his mother has spun around her family to keep them safe. It didn't even feel stupid, it felt brilliant. I ran past the playground and the dead climbing frame. I was running superfast. I was going faster than I've ever gone, my feet were just a blur. Nobody could ever catch me, I was going