Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri

Bibliographic Information

Neri, G. (2010). Yummy: The last days of a Southside shorty. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books Inc. ISBN: 1584302674

Plot

This biographic graphic novel explores the last days of Yummy, an eleven year-old gang member. When Yummy is told to shoot a rival too close to his turf, he misses and hits 14 year-old Shavon, a young girl who aspires to be a hairstylist. Her death results in a huge manhunt through Chicago’s Southside while Yummy is ferried from place to place by his crew. The story is told through the eyes of Roger, a fictitious classmate of Yummy’s and the younger brother of one of Yummy’s gang, who struggles to understand who Yummy really is: a kid, a killer, or both?

Review

Neri does a great job emphasizing the duality of bullies in general and gang members in particular by including small details about Yummy's personality. His obsession with sweets, his love of his granny, and his omnipresent teddy bear remind readers that, no matter what he may have done, Yummy is essentially a child. On the other hand, the scene where Yummy lights a man's car on fire for running over his bike shows that, despite his age, Yummy is a deeply troubled and dangerous person. In the end, no real conclusions are drawn about who is at fault or what Yummy is. To further complicate things, Roger, the fictitious narrator and a victim of Yummy's antics, still manages to feel empathy for Yummy's fate. The ambiguity speaks to Neri's respect for his readers. He never patronizes them by giving easy answers to tough questions.