Pigeon English

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It's neither possible nor desirable to write lightly – or light-heartedly – about knife crime, and Pigeon English, for all its humorous touches, doesn't. What it does do is to rid the subject of its portentousness, to root it firmly in a milieu where kindness and catastrophe, laughter and viciousness coexist. It is under no illusions about the effects of external violence on Harri's life; in his school breaktime, he merrily plays a game called suicide bomber, in which "you run at the other person and crash them as hard as you can. If the other person falls over you get a hundred points. If they just move but don't fall over it's ten points. One person is always the lookout because suicide bomber is banned." Lydia is Harri's older sister in Year 9. A member of Dance Club, Lydia befriends Miquita and Chanelle and enjoys normal adolescent behaviors, like gossiping and watching television dramas. After the murder, Lydia is conscripted to destroy evidence and is threatened by Miquita. Despite her fear of the Dell Farm Crew's retribution, Lydia protects Harri as best she can, despite being a child herself. Mamma Terry Takeaway is an ex-army alcoholic and known thief who lives in Harri's neighborhood. Terry Takeaway owns an unusually friendly pit bull, Asbo, and protects Harri and Dean from the Dell Farm Crew. Julius 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…

I didn't care for the absolute jumpiness of the story, written as though the narrator was on something and in somewhat hyper text pieces that were interjected. The characters did not appeal to me and although I am sure Mr. Kelman tried to make them real, they just seemed like a cutout of the typical middle schooler of today. The gist of the story seems to get lost quite a bit as the kids name call, use the word hutious ad infiitum and adore the usage of four letter words. I realize that these elements are like rites of passage for young people these days, but it just did not ring true nor endear the characters to this reader. If Agnes dies I'll just swap places with her. She can have my life. I'll give it to her and I'll die instead. I wouldn't mind because I've already lived for a long time. Agnes has only lived for one year and some. I hope God lets me. I don't mind going to Heaven early. If he wants me to swap places, I will.” Mamma likes it best when it’s a child who died. That’s when she prays the hardest. She prays proper hard and squeezes you until you think you’re going to burst. Grown-ups love sad news, it gives them something special to pray for. Harri, AprilPersonally, while I tend to prefer plot-driven fiction, I can live with minimal or no plot if there is something to connect with. And in this book, 11-year-old Harrison (aka "Harri") Opoku is such a lovable, naive, child that I couldn't help but connect with his irrepressible spirit. Like Harri, moved from Africa to an alien first-world country at around age 10-11, and found it to be a similarly bewildering and hostile place. Others may find Harri to be too precious or unbelievably innocent, but I fell for him hook, line, and sinker. And to be fair, the book is not entirely plotless, there is a murder mystery to propel things, along with a minor romantic subplot. I love going in the lift, it's brutal, especially when you're the only one in there. Then you could be a spirit or a spy. You even forget the pissy smell because you're going so fast. 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 Morgan From Autumn 2015, Stephen Kelman's deeply funny, moving idiosyncratic and unforgettable novel will be an AQA GCSE English Literature set text. About This Edition ISBN:

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. Harrison finds the dead body of a friend-knifings are increasing in this neighborhood. He and his friends decide to use all the knowledge they have gained from television and shared misunderstandings to solve the case. When there’s a star on a flag it stands for freedom. The star points in all directions, it means you can go anywhere you want. That’s why I love stars, because they stand for freedom.” He and his friends come upon a crime scene where an older teen boy is stabbed to death and the remainder of the book very loosely and sloppily becomes a bit of a comedic drama about his thinking processes, amateur sleuthing and his world views. This young boy is a fast runner, full of mischief, sweet, imaginative and very funny. This story is somewhat interesting but often repetitive and too loosey goosey.Už jsem jednou mrtvýho člověka viděl. Bylo to tam, jak jsme bydleli, na trhu v Kaneši. Paní, co tam prodávala pomeranče, srazil minibus; neviděl ho přijíždět nikdo. Já si představoval, že ty pomeranče, který se rozkutálely po zemi, jsou její šťastný vzpomínky a že hledají někoho jinýho, na koho by se mohly přilepit, aby nepřišly vniveč.” Pigeon English is a book to fall in love with: a funny book, a true book, a shattering book' Erica Wagner, The Times Simultaneously accurate and fantastical, this boy's love letter to the world made me laugh and tremble all the way through. Pigeon English is a triumph' Emma Donoghue, author of Room