Ghetto Cowboy

By: G. Neri

Narrated by: JD Jackson

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. When Cole’s mom dumps him in the mean streets of Philly to live with the dad he’s never met, the last thing he expects to see is a horse - let alone a stable full of them. He may not know much about cowboys, but what he knows for sure is that cowboys ain’t black, and they don’t live in the ’hood. But here, horses are a way of life, and soon Cole’s days of skipping school and getting in trouble in Detroit have been replaced by shoveling muck and trying not to get stomped on.

At first, all Cole can think about is how to ditch these ghetto cowboys and get home, but when the City threatens to shut down the stables - and take away the horse that Cole has come to think of as his own - he knows it’s time to step up and fight back. Inspired by the real-life inner- city horsemen of Philadelphia and Brooklyn, Ghetto Cowboy is a timeless urban western about learning to stand up for what’s right  the Cowboy Way.

©2011 G. Neri (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Touching story about a real problem

This is a novel but based on history. Before motor vehicles transportation was done with horses. Blacks took care of the stables and horses. These stables still exist in major cities tended by real black cowboys. Unfortunately this piece of history is being taken away to make room for more urbanization . I learned much about the real black cowboys that started out as slaves.

Great story, fabulous performance!

Would you listen to Ghetto Cowboy again? Why?

I am a 4th grade teacher and enjoyed this book myself. Only a couple of "naughty" words. A great story was enhanced by the wonderful verbal performance! Great pick for 5th & 6th grade kids.

an inspiring story

a wonderful story about trust and cooperation. full of emotion and free of cruelty violence and vulgarity

Whoa!

Loved this story! The language was realisitic and the way the actor performed made these characters come to life. I wish I could visit this band of cowboys and see how they are doing now!

Book vs Movie

Of course the movie took quite a few liberties that were not in the book, however, I think both the book and movie were great stories. The cadence of the narrator was waaay too slow, so I had to speed up the audio to 1.50x... other than that, I would definitely recommend this book to teenagers and parents of teenagers.