The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League
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(as of May 11, 2025 13:47:55 UTC – Details)
*Now a major motion picture—Rob Peace—starring Jay Will, Mary J. Blige, and Chiwetel Ejiofor*
*Named a Best Book of the Year by The New York Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, and more* The New York Times bestselling account of a young African-American man who escaped Newark, NJ, to attend Yale, but still faced the dangers of the streets when he returned is, “nuanced and shattering” (People) and “mesmeric” (The New York Times Book Review).
When author Jeff Hobbs arrived at Yale University, he became fast friends with the man who would be his college roommate for four years, Robert Peace. Robert’s life was rough from the beginning in the crime-ridden streets of Newark in the 1980s, with his father in jail and his mother earning less than $15,000 a year. But Robert was a brilliant student, and it was supposed to get easier when he was accepted to Yale, where he studied molecular biochemistry and biophysics. But it didn’t get easier. Robert carried with him the difficult dual nature of his existence, trying to fit in at Yale, and at home on breaks.
A compelling and honest portrait of Robert’s relationships—with his struggling mother, with his incarcerated father, with his teachers and friends—The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace encompasses the most enduring conflicts in America: race, class, drugs, community, imprisonment, education, family, friendship, and love. It’s about the collision of two fiercely insular worlds—the ivy-covered campus of Yale University and the slums of Newark, New Jersey, and the difficulty of going from one to the other and then back again. It’s about trying to live a decent life in America. But most all this “fresh, compelling” (The Washington Post) story is about the tragic life of one singular brilliant young man. His end, a violent one, is heartbreaking and powerful and “a haunting American tragedy for our times” (Entertainment Weekly).
Publisher : Scribner; Reprint edition (July 28, 2015)
Language : English
Paperback : 448 pages
ISBN-10 : 1476731918
ISBN-13 : 978-1476731919
Lexile measure : 1220L
Item Weight : 7.4 ounces
Dimensions : 5.5 x 1.12 x 8.38 inches
Customers say
Customers find this biography engaging and well-written, describing it as a tragic story that makes for riveting reading. The book receives positive feedback for its thoughtful writing style and its ability to present food for thought, with one customer noting how it makes readers evaluate their life choices. Customers appreciate the heartfelt content, with one review highlighting how it sheds light on the challenges faced, while others praise the brilliant young man’s multifaceted life. The pacing receives mixed reactions, with some finding it absolutely riveting while others say it drags on at times.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
