Garvey is a young man trying to find his place in his family and in the world. His father wants him to play basketball, but Garvey would rather read a book – science fiction is a big favorite – or play chess with his best friend. He hides his inadequate feelings with eating where he takes gentle teasing from his older sister – which still cuts – and bullies at school because he’s overweight. When the chance to join the school chorus comes, Garvey is afraid to try out despite how much he loves to sing, something he shares with his dad he desperately wants to love him, but sports are all his dad cares about.
Excitement beaming,
From Dad’s face, he bounces in,
palms a basketball.
“Look what I got for you, son!”
Want to go work up a sweat?”
Who’s he talking to?
After all these years, you’d think
he’d start to know me.
Will he ever stop trying
to make me someone I’m not? (Grimes, p18)
Garvey takes the dive and tries out for chorus, making the team and earning a solo, but he hides this accomplishment from his family until the day of the concert. Will the music be enough to make his dad proud of him? To love him?
Nikki Grimes chose to write this story in prose poetry format, using the tanka method of poetry to share Garvey’s story. The writing is simple and musical, like Garvey’s drive to be better, and the characters – Garvey, his two best friends, his family – all shine through the simple poems to feel real and relatable. Garvey’s struggle to find a place in his family – mostly with his father – and to deal with the bullies at school are poignant and will pull readers into the poetry that helps make the book a fast read.
Kirkus Review summed the book up, “Written in poignantly poetic tanka verse, Grimes’ newest follows a young black boy searching for his own unique voice, lost among his father’s wishes and society’s mischaracterizations” (2016). This statement highlights Garvey and his struggle to find the music in his heart and soul to share with those around him. Kirkus also said, “This graceful novel risks stretching beyond easy, reductive constructions of black male coming-of-age stories and delivers a sincere, authentic story of resilience and finding one’s voice” (2016).
Another prose poetry book, The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, is similar but focuses on the basketball while Garvey gets a chance to expand beyond the court onto a stage that helps him shine like a star.
Ingram (2016). [Digital Image – Garvery’s Choice]. Retrieved on September 10, 2018 from https://ipage.ingramcontent.com/ipage/servlet/ibg.common.titledetail.pd1000?queryString=H4sIAAAAAAAAABXKuw5AUBCE4VeRaTQK2i2FSqMgkZwohOMSkpWzLkG8u9V9_2QeSAfqm0VsAGEGbW5XrhsIMfMMtdygKAxVi65pVST4z-q8jJPijxVkTBRAndnrZNephsYd9vLFa0eeWou6fj90yFwjcAAAAA&R=44691568&dNo=1
Grimes, Nikki (2016). Garvey’s Choice. Pennsylvania: WordSong
Kirkus (2016). “Book Review – Garvey’s Choice”. Retrieved on September 10, 2018 from https://ipage.ingramcontent.com/ipage/servlet/ibg.common.titledetail.pd1000?queryString=H4sIAAAAAAAAABXKuw5AUBCE4VeRaTQK2i2FSqMgkZwohOMSkpWzLkG8u9V9_2QeSAfqm0VsAGEGbW5XrhsIMfMMtdygKAxVi65pVST4z-q8jJPijxVkTBRAndnrZNephsYd9vLFa0eeWou6fj90yFwjcAAAAA&R=44691568&dNo=1
Ramblings of Jhenry 