This hands down is my favourite of the books we’ve read so far. Black Shack Alley is the story of a boy named Jose who lives on the French Caribbean island of Martinique. In three parts we are showing his youth on a plantation, his time in a local school and eventually his journey into the adult world and all its injustices. I think what made the first two parts of the novel especially powerful for me was that the innocence of our characters was perfectly intertwined with moments of heartbreaking injustice. In the initial section the children basically run free all day while their parents work in the field. We experience the joys of running free and exploration yet when their antics run too wild many of José’s friends are forced into the child labour group on this plantation. José doesn’t face that same fate with his grandmother not putting him to work like some of the parents yet we still feel the distance and the alienation that will be a continuing theme throughout. This continues into the second part of the novel as José is exposed to the other children of the small town they now live in. Specifically with the character of Jojo is the mixed race son of the nearby factories foreman. Although Jojo lives in the largest house his days are full of beatings and discipline at the hands of his parents and teachers. the conversations that these boys have are the highlight of this section to me with jojo’s position in society seeming so contrary to young José as this misery and position do not line up. The most poignant of these conversations to me is Jojo & Jose discuss the future and jose says he will eventually own a huge piece of land and pay all his workers a lot of money. Even when Jojo essentially tells Jose that this couldn’t be possible because they are black and low paying manual labour is all they’re for Jose doesn’t hate Jojo for his prejudice, even through this slight Jose shows great youthful compassion for Jojo. Jose innocence is finally ripped away when he gains a scholarship and moves to the big city with his mother. The third in my opinion is the real adult world finally catching up with Jose, and i don’t mean that in a negative way I think that from his situation it is impressive he has lived so joyfully for so long in both poverty and discrimination. Overall this was an excellent book with some very touching and powerful moments.