We are thrilled to be revealing the cover for Desmond Hall’s debut young adult novel, Your Corner Dark, but first, here’s a message from Desmond:
“Hello! I’m a Jamaican-born writer, and my debut novel, YOUR CORNER DARK, is due out January 19, 2021. I think it’s so important to get more Black voices out into the world, as there weren’t many books that depicted my experience when I was growing up. It’s also important to see that Black culture is not one monolithic group.
The title, YOUR CORNER DARK is taken from a phrase in Jamaican culture that refers to being stuck between a rock and a hard place with no good choices. And my story is a fast-paced, riveting page-turner that’s exactly about choices, impossible odds, and perseverance. Frankie Green, a Jamaican teen who gets a full ride scholarship to study in the U.S. faces a sudden tragedy that threatens everything he’s dreamed of, and his very life.
Inspired by the murder of my uncle back in Jamaica, the book takes readers to the part of the island that’s not shown in the fancy travel commercials, a world where police brutality, colorism, gang culture, and political intrigue clash in a constant life and death struggle, one that Frankie and his girlfriend, Leah attempt to escape.”
Find pre-order links here and be sure to add this one to your Goodreads!
SYNOPSIS
American Street meets Long Way Down in this searing and gritty debut novel that takes an unflinching look at the harsh realities of gang life in Jamaica and how far a teen is willing to go for family.
Things can change in a second: The second Frankie Green gets that scholarship letter, he has his ticket out of Jamaica. The second his longtime crush, Leah, asks him on a date, he’s in trouble. The second his father gets shot, suddenly nothing else matters.
And the second Frankie joins his uncle’s gang in exchange for paying for his father’s medical bills, there’s no going back…or is there?
As Frankie does things he never thought he’d be capable of, he’s forced to confront the truth of the family and future he was born into—and the ones he wants to build for himself.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Desmond Hall was born in Jamaica, West Indies, and moved to Jamaica, Queens. He has worked as a high school biology and English teacher in East New York, Brooklyn; counseled teenage ex-cons after their release from Rikers Island; and served as Spike Lee’s creative director at Spike DDB. Desmond has served on the board of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids and the Advertising Council and judged the One Show, the American Advertising Awards, and the NYC Downtown Short Film Festival. He’s also been named one of Variety magazine’s Top 50 Creatives to Watch. Desmond lives outside of Boston with his wife and two daughters.
