about the book
“Suddenly, something big and white bumps up against the car and I jump. I think I must be dreamin’ ’cause I just saw a horse run by.”
Cole is shocked when he shows up on his estranged father’s doorstep—a man he has never met—and finds a horse in the living room. Although Cole has moved from one poor, depressed neighborhood in Detroit to another poor, depressed neighborhood in Philadelphia, things are not the same. Yes, the streets are mean and littered with thugs and gang members, and hope for a better life and future is hard to come by.
But the surprise of his father’s “cowboy culture” is enough to get Cole to sit up and take notice. Instead of ditching school and hanging with the wrong crowd, like he did in Detroit, he finds himself cleaning horse stalls and hanging with a group of men and boys who have found a glimmer of something special in a place where it seems impossible.
When the city threatens to destroy the way of life of these men, Cole is faced with the challenge of standing up for what he believes in and being a true “ghetto cowboy”. This story about an unexpected life style for urban youth was inspired by the real-life inner-city horsemen of Philadelphia and Brooklyn, New York.
about the author
G. Neri (the G stands for Greg) is part Mexican, Filipino, and Creole (French, African, Spanish, and Native American). Greg has come up with the heritage tags “Crelfilican-American” or “Nafranishafripinocan”!
Greg grew up in Los Angeles, a shy quiet kid who spent his time skateboarding, building ramps, and body surfing. Always doodling, he dreamed of becoming a cartoonist.
Greg attended the University of California and pursued a career as a filmmaker. One of his films, created in college, ended up on HBO and Bravo! He also taught animation and storytelling to inner-city teens and was involved with Animaction, which produced over 300 films dealing with teen violence, gangs, and drugs. He co-pioneered an Internet business and was the head of production for two media companies. In 1999 he started writing, really finding his passion in 2004 when he wrote his first book for urban teen boys.
Greg says he writes one word at a time, working five days a week from 9:00 till 3:00 in his studio. He calls himself a reluctant writer, writing for reluctant readers, and sometimes he gets his ideas for books in strange ways.
Greg lives in Tampa, Florida, with his wife, Maggie, who is a sociology professor, and their daughter Zola. Zola is half German. Greg says she’ll have to figure out a tag for her heritage herself!
Sources:
Author website
Author interview: The Brown Bookshelf
Author video presentation: Goodreads
Also by G. Neri:
Tru & Nelle. HMH Books for Young Readers. 2016.
Hello, I’m Johnny Cash. Candlewick Press. 2014.
Chess Rumble. Lee & Low Books. 2007.
read more!
Chess Rumble by G. Neri
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