Review of
Shine,
by Peter Eyvindson ISBN 9780968491843
Five out of five stars
The location is
Haiti and the main characters are friends Didi and Reginald, two barefoot boys
on the streets of the city. Didi is a shiner of shoes while Reginald has only
one arm and is a beggar. It is a slow day and Reginald is hungry.
Suddenly a rich
man walks out of a hotel and Didi moves quickly to offer him a shoeshine. At
first the man speaks poorly of Didi, but then consents to have him shine his shoes.
Once the shine is complete, the man refuses to pay, even going so far as to
hurt Didi. With the help of Reginald, some of the female fruit vendors in the
area and that of a policeman that is not intimidated by the obvious wealth of
the man, Didi manages to get a high payment. There is a happy ending with the
prospect of good food for both boys.
This story is
one that is common in many poor countries, where young boys must work the
streets in order to survive and earn their next meal. It is well illustrated
and provides a lesson regarding how many young people in the world live their
lives.
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