The third title of A Place for Us is out now at bookstores! It's called B-Boy Brothers. It's about all things "B", breakdancing, beatboxing and bullying.
Synopsis
Malik and his friends tease Yusuf whenever they see him passing by. When Malik learns of Yusuf's talents, he feels ashamed and has a change of heart. But will Malik make a stand for Yusuf?
Before this book, I knew nothing about breakdancing, and only marginally more about beatboxing. This book is based on a true story of a MINDS student that I had interviewed. His story touched me, and I felt it was important to tell his story as honestly as possible. Persons with special needs (especially the intellectually disabled) so often get bullied or jeered at. The boy that I had met, A, told me about how he would try out breakdance moves at home and it made him feel happy and forget his sad feelings. He could also rap and beatbox, and gamely let me record him beatbox with my phone. Such a talented boy! The only thing that bugged him is the group of boys who would taunt him whenever he passed them by. I told him that if he every saw this title at the bookstores, to know that he had inspired the story. Thank you, A!
Available at Popular Bookstores and selected retailers.