MIRACLE’S BOYS

By Jacqueline Woodson

            This novel begins with Lafayette, the narrator, eaves dropping on his next eldest brother’s stories. A little information is reviled about Charlie’s past and the fact that he has just returned form Rahway Correctional, a juvenile correctional facility for minors. Charlie shows that he has some resentment for his youngest brother, Lafayette, and hangs out with some idealist kid, Aaron, who believes that Charlie is the most phlegmatic person to ever walk the Earth.

            Than Lafayette recites a story told by his eldest brother, Ty’ree, of how their father had died. How he had been a hero and saved a lady and her dog in the park. The lady had been jogging in the park and her dog next to her, no leash of course. Than all of a sudden the dog took off for a bird going across the frozen lake, but when the dog got to the middle of the lake the ice was to thin to support it so the ice gave way. The lady started chasing after her dog, but she also fell in, their father had gone to save them and managed to do so, but had latter died of hypothermia.

Their mother, Milagro, had died of insulin shock. After her death it left the three of them orphan and they had to take care of each other. Lafayette feels bad for his mother’s death because Charlie keeps blaming him for her death. Ty’ree goes around answering all the questions Laf has about his mother’s death and why Charlie is the way he is.

            Ty’ree was reviled as a hero during the book. He had given up everything so he could keep his family together. Ty’ree was one of the few in Harlem to ever have a chance to get a full ride scholarship to a college, but he had to turn that down and go to working full time in a mailroom of a large company. They made just enough money to live in a little shanty and to pay for their supplies.

Lafayette goes back into time and remembers the night that Charlie was caught by the cops for robbing Poncho’s candy store. How his mother, Milagro, and Ty’ree were finding out different ways stretch their money the most adroit way they could, and he was in the living room watching the news. Than the cops came knocking and they had Charlie in handcuffs for the robbery. Charlie got three years and became cold toward the world during his time.

Charlie is arrested a second time for riding in a stolen car and they fear having to split up for Charlie’s ignorance. The government said that Ty’ree has custody over Lafayette and Charlie as long as they don’t get into trouble. When Ty’ree and Laf get there Charlie is badly beaten and huddling in the corner like a broken dog. His thick phlegmatic shell had cracked when he was forced to fight or get fought. When he didn’t want to fight they beat him and took him in a stolen car and they were arrested, but the arresting officer had been nice enough to release Charlie into Ty’ree’s custody.

Charlie dwelled in self-pity till Lafayette had finally gained the courage to talk to Charlie. Lafayette had found that Charlie was the way he was because he wasn’t there for his parent’s death. Laf had confronted his fear and forced Charlie to see that he was not as alone in the world as he thought and that there were others like him.

The novel shows that no mater how detached someone is they will always need someone to be there. It also shows that family is the most important thing someone could ever have. In the end all you ever have is family. Not just your parents because the fact that they will die before you, but that you and your siblings should have a strong connection with one another because that is who will be with you till the day that you die.