Blood Brothers

Ack! I almost forgot to post today. But it is officially still Thursday so I have not missed a day. . .

I recently read Blood Brothers by S.A. Harazin. This is a realistic fiction book about Clay, a young man who works endless hours at a low-paying aide's job in the local hospital. He hopes to go to medical school someday though he knows his poor background will probably thwart his dreams. His best friend is a very wealthy kid, but their unequal backrounds haven't stopped them from becoming not only best friends but blood brothers. Their big plan for after high school graduation is to bike across the country. But it all goes wrong when Clay goes to see his best friend after a long shift at the hospital--and the friend attacks Clay in such a rage that Clay pushes him in self-defense. The friend was out of his mind on drugs and Clay's actions are justified but that doesn't comfort him when as a result of the fall, his friend goes into a deep coma.

Who gave his friends the drug? Clay knows his blood brother would never have taken them on his own. And who is most responsible for the devastating aftermath? Is Clay? Is his friend?

This book started rather quickly, throwing the reader into the action before we really know who or what we're dealing with. This unsettled me but I kept reading because the plot was a good one. Unfortunately the author delved a bit too much into a preachy anti-drug message, and the drug of the plot--PCP--seemed like a dated choice to this reader. (Though the author claims PCP is still a major problem.) Still, I liked the book and was willing to overlook its couple of faults. It has some painful things to say about economic class and dreams deferred. How hard would it be to want a career so badly--to be a doctor--and to know that it was probably way out of reach? And how to make any dreams come true when living with guilt over a violent moment?