The Death and Life of Benny Brooks: Sort of a Memoir

Gr 4-7–A fictionalized coming-of-age story of Long during the 1970s. Benny’s parents are going through a divorce, and his father is dying of lung cancer. Benny is struggling at school and is failing in his ability to fall asleep and control his anger. Luckily, he has a best friend who supports him, a teacher who is helping him with fifth grade, and a therapist helping him learn how to navigate the end of his father’s life and socializing with his friends. The book is prose interspersed with cartoony black-and-white line drawings dramatizing the events in Benny’s life, such as his brother’s bullying during dinner time, father’s failing health, and mother’s moving into her new home. The people illustrated look mostly white, reflecting the community that Benny Brooks lives in. The book’s tactful handling of mental health and therapy is balanced, respectful, and representative of the actual process; blame is not placed on the child, but a framework is given that places Benny’s mental health issues at the nexus of multiple traumatic life events compounding one another.