Mean Little People

Book excerpt: When he's seven years old, Tony Bruno nearly dies-by hanging. But the brutality of school bullies on the streets of Philadelphia is just the tip of the iceberg for Tony, who also must endure the crushing loneliness of a father who rejects and terrorizes him. And when a teenaged Tony ends up at a juvenile detention center awaiting trial, little does he know that his life-and quest for acceptance-will change forever. Tony goes free only to find he has no home to go back to. From squatting in an abandoned warehouse to joining a gang to chasing a future with a girl he's forbidden to love, Tony digs deep to survive. But the cost of escaping this life he hates may be too high. This tautly plotted tale moves at a breakneck pace from beginning to end. A raw and gritty story tempered only by the honor found in acceptance, Mean Little People tackles the darkest of issues, from the trauma of bullying to the lure of organized crime. And in Tony Bruno, the ruthless yet surprisingly gentle boy clawing his way through the years toward happiness, we find someone to root for despite-or perhaps because of-his brokenness.