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Title: Must take time-frame into account.
Review: People seem to forget the time in which the story takes place. We are talking about the 1960's. At the height of the civil rights movement. Zeke's story reflects pretty much the norm for a Harlem dwelling African-american family of the time. Neglectful parents, no schooling (whether because of a disability or because the kids spent their time on the streets), unemployment, and a general lack of concern for others and their problems (the neighbors' "I have enough problems of my own" attitude, which reflects society, again, at the time). The story is excellent for exposing all these issues and still managing to come back from the dark and making it all as if it were a bad dream, except for the jazz music that permeated that time as well. Also, the illustrations deserve a praise of its own. Beautifully written, beautifully illustrated!
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