Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

Gus Busbi by Jim Sono is a heartwarming, hopeful novel about growing up in the inner-cíty ghettos, seen through the eyes of a young black man torn between the friendship and familial love of young gang members and his mother’s desire for him to break free from the hopelessness of the ghetto. Jamiel Russell had grown up without a father in the projects, where violence, drugs, and senseless killing were an everyday occurrence. When Jamiel’s mother saw the opportunity to move her and her talented son away from the gang influence and into a predominantly white, safer neighborhood, she jumped at it. Jamiel, a gifted basketball player, was now attending a local Catholic school where the priest, Father Tom, proved to be a wonderful coach and mentor. Faced with a curmudgeonly landlord, Gus, who lived on the same premises, and who Jamiel thought was just a grumpy old racist, he found himself increasingly drawn back to his gang friends. Slowly but surely he was being sucked into their lifestyle, and, worse, their crimes. It would take bold actions by the surrogate fathers in Jamiel’s life to ensure he found the right road to follow. 

Gus Busbi is a wonderfully insightful and meaningful novel. Author Jim Sano uses the narrative to pose and attempt to answer some critical questions faced by youth in our cities today, especially African-American youth. The characters are wonderfully drawn and the author explores each one in some depth. I particularly appreciated the remarkable synchronicities the author injected into the story that ultimately brought Jamiel and Gus together in the same environment. Jamiel does some deep thinking about his relationships, especially expressing gratitude for the wonderful men who stepped into the void in his life. Jamiel felt the “black” experience was infinitely harsher than those experienced by immigrants through the years. He also was intelligent enough to realize that this wasn’t the only group to experience discrimination and hatred based on skin color or ethnicity. For me, the character who stood out the most was Father Tom, the quintessential caring priest. I have known a Father Tom whose heart was bigger than most and whose patience was endless. It reinforces the underlying themes of love, role models, and forgiveness that run seamlessly through the narrative. Novels with a great story that impart fundamental truths are priceless and this one certainly falls into that category. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.