JoeyPinkney.com Exclusive Interview
5 Minutes, 5 Questions With…
Sharon G. Flake, author of You Don’t Even Know Me: Stories and Poems About Boys
(Disney Book Group)

You Don’t Even Know Me, is a collection of thought-provoking short stories and poems about teenage boys expressed by a variety of male voices.

The book examines hard-hitting topics like HIV/AIDS and teenage suicide. The characters discuss relationships between fathers and sons, young men and older women, love and marriage. Class issues and diversity stories are included.

In one story, a young man contemplates getting even with the person who killed his grandfather. Through poetry, a young man melodically shares his love for his chocolate, cinnamon, his beige colored boo. While in another story, a young man is seduced by his older neighbor.

In this book, we meet a young boy who ambitiously talks about being president of the world and moving the White House to Harlem. This book places a much deserved spotlight on a group that is often ignored by society-at-large.

Joey Pinkney: Where did you get the inspiration to write You Don’t Even Know Me: Stories and Poems About Boys?

Sharon G. Flake: Inner-city youth are a major inspiration to me. Their lives, like the fashion they create and the music they bring to the world, is a mirror Continue reading 5 Minutes, 5 Questions With… Sharon G. Flake, author of You Don’t Even Know Me: Stories and Poems About Boys →