[.ca] Sleepers (ISBN 0345404114)

So Unbelivable You Will Cry:
When I picked up this book,, I was not sure how it was going to effect me. I hardly have the time and energy to even take sometime to read a book or even a newspaper because my life is so hectic. I am a single mother of two beautiful children who are eight and seven years old and I am too busy with them and work. I decided one day that I'd make time for myself and read a book or two and really focus on something else other than my usual routine. I went to a thrift store and there were hundreds of books that looked and seemed interesting and I picked out "Sleepers". I did not bother to look inside and read what the story was about. It had been almost a week before I started to read, and so finally I started reading. The part that really interested me was the the part of "Hells Kitchen", I was curiouse and I knew their was a movie about this which I also havn't seen and I read and I started getting into the book. I was so amazed and I feel in love with the characters. I think that Mr. Carcaterra has been trough so much and for him to write about what has happend to him is so heartbreaking and it really opens your eyes and your mind on how situation like these still happen. I was so pissed when I read about what the four correctional officers did to those boys and I truely think he got what he deserved and as for as the other three. I have a son of my own and if he were to ever were to serve jail-time, "which I hope will never happen", I would be mad if any harsh treatment was bestowed upon him. I am thankful to the Authur that he has written something that was very personal and it inspired me to be a better person and a better parent. I think he has such an amazing memory, even I don't really remember much of my childhood. I guess sometimes justice has to be served even when you have to take it into your own hands, just like Tommy and John. I was surprised when Father Bobby took the stand and did what he did because of the love he had for these boys. I know it was probably the most hardest thing he has ever done and I think God told him to do what he did. I know that God works in mysterious ways and he proved it on that very day in the courtroom. I hope Mr. Lorenzo Carcaterra knows that he has written with passion and I hope he knows that he opened alot of doors on what still happens in the system today. Mr. Carcaterra has written a brilliant book that takes your breathaway and makes you cry. I will never forget his story and I know their are many like his and God Bless them all.

Seen the movie? Skip the book.:
I had started reading this book a few years after I had seen the screen adaptation of it. And I found, for the most part, that the film didn't leave anything out. Basically, if you have seen the flick, the novel will basically read itself for you. They're both equally fantastic....but I found myself giving up on the book about half way through...mainly because the film was so close to it and I knew exactly what was coming next.

Like a smack upside the head:
I saw the movie and years later picked up the book and I can say that if the movie was too much for you then the book will alternately make you cry and cringe. I have no idea if this is a true story or not--if it is, I can imagine that there must have been some very angry people in and around New York when the book came out. Relatives or other inmates of Wilkerson should have come forward to confirm or deny the story. Relatives of the victim who was hit by the hotdog cart should've come forward. Apparently none of these things happened so I don't feel comfortable calling the book a memoir but frankly, it almost (but not quite which is why I can't give it 5 stars) doesn't matter. This a towering book of probably part fact and part fiction (the trial scenes are imposible) that you will not forget. Carcaterra is a brilliant writer and the book is worth every penny. For me, that's the bottom line.

Horrifyingly realistic:
This is a true story about Lorenzo (the author) who grew up in Hell's Kitchen and then after a tragic accident is sent to live in the Wilkinson home for boys. The abuse he suffers there is beyond horrifying - its downright sadistic. Never have I read a more riveting nonfiction novel (although the story about the girl in the box was a close second). Lorenzo and his friends have a very tragic live and two of his friends grow up to be contract killers because of it. This is a complex story and you should read it.

A True story told Brilliantly:
... I saw the film after the book, and I personally don't think the film did the book as much justice. This true story shows you how kids can grow up and shape into different individuals through an unfortunate accident. Set in Hells Kitchen, a man has been is shot in a bar, two men have been identified at the scene with witnesses and charged for his murder. A specific lawyer has been assigned to the case subtly with the help of a writer, who is sure that he can win these murderers' case. The story unravels... Before all this, a group of boys are introduced with sentimental character, good nature and hope, which is later transformed after one of their small-time mischevous antics go wrong. After years of teenage torment and suffering that were behind closed doors of a place that was meant to help them, they have grown up. The way this was written was just brilliant. The way it unravels, and the journey you endure with these characters becomes an emotional attachment. This book contained great moments, the whole novel can be quite joyful at times, but mostly quite saddening. Justice goes both ways in this novel, and the writer has told it as it is. And that's what really makes this book.. it's story-telling of a real-life tragedy that can affect anyone.