G. Neri is the Eisner-nominated, Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author of Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty, which CNN and Flavorwire hailed as one of the top 25 essential graphic novels of all-time. He has written thirteen books for young people, including Ghetto Cowboy, which was made into the movie Concrete Cowboy, starring Idris Elba, debuting at #1 on Netflix. His books have been translated into multiple languages in more than 25 countries. In 2023, he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from SUNY for his literary output. Mr. Neri lives on the Gulf coast of Florida. For more information, visit gneri.com.

Randy DuBurke is a full-time artist, whose work has appeared in books for young readers, DC and Marvel comics, The New York Times, and MAD magazine. A native of Brooklyn, New York, DuBurke now lives in Switzerland with his wife and their two sons. His website is randyduburke.com.

* "Tightly researched and sharply written. . . This is a graphic novel that pushes an unsightly but hard to ignore socio-political truth out into the open." -- Booklist, starred review

* "Comics illustrator DuBurke's gritty black-and-white artwork employs foreshortened backgrounds to bring the action right up in the reader's face, whether it's talking heads calmly discussing their theories on Yummy's disordered personality, families in mourning, or a semiautomatic pointed directly out of the frame. . . Heartbreakingly contemporary." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

* "A much-needed look at the terrifying perils of life on the margins that will have all readers pondering the heady question of moral responsibility." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* Framing the story through the eyes and voice of a fictional character, 11-year-old Roger, offers a bittersweet sense of authenticity while upholding an objective point of view. . . the exploration of "both sides of the story" is unflinchingly offered. -- School Library Journal, starred review

"Compassionate and unflinching." -- Gene Luen Yang, award-winning cartoonist and former National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

"Neri's straightforward, unadorned prose is the perfect complement to DuBurke's stark black-and-white inks; great slabs of shadow and masterfully rendered faces breathe real, tragic life into the players. Like Roger, in the end readers are left with troubling questions and, perhaps, one powerful answer: that they can choose to do everything in their power to ensure that no one shares Yummy's terrible fate." -- Publishers Weekly

"Illustrated with the rough vigor of a Jack Chick evangelical tract, this graphic novel, evoking Yummy's famous mugshot for its cover image, makes for an authentic parable of the dangers of gang life and gang-ruled streets. It's too real to feel preachy, and Roger's narration of Yummy's brief life is realistically stoic and sympathetic." -- The Horn Book

Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor - American Library Association (ALA)
Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Nominee

ALSC Notable Children's Books - American Library Association (ALA)
Best Books - Kirkus Reviews
Best Books of the Year - Publishers Weekly
CCBC Choices - Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Editors' Choice - Booklist
Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award Nominee - Indiana Library Federation
Garden State Teen Book Awards - New Jersey Library Association
Glyph Award Nominee - The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC)
Great Graphic Novels for Teens, Top Ten - Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List - Texas Library Association (TLA)
Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Nominee - State Library of Louisiana
Notable Books for a Global Society - International Literacy Association (ILA)
Once Upon a World Children's Book Award - The Simon Wiesenthal Center and Museum of Tolerance Library and Archives
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers - Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee - Rhode Island Library Association
Virginia Readers' Choice - Virginia State Literacy Association