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Ghetto Cowboy Audiobook
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(3.67) - 39 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Suddenly, something big and white bumps up against the car, and I jump. I think I must be dreamin’, ’cause I just saw a horse run by.
When Cole’s mom dumps him in the mean streets of Philly to live with the dad he’s never met, the last thing he expects to see is a horse—let alone a stable full of them. He may not know much about cowboys, but what he knows for sure is that cowboys ain’t black, and they don’t live in the ’hood. But here, horses are a way of life, and soon Cole’s days of skipping school and getting in trouble in Detroit have been replaced by shoveling muck and trying not to get stomped on.
At first, all Cole can think about is how to ditch these ghetto cowboys and get home, but when the City threatens to shut down the stables—and take away the horse that Cole has come to think of as his own—he knows it’s time to step up and fight back.
Inspired by the real-life inner-city horsemen of Philadelphia and Brooklyn, Ghetto Cowboy is a timeless urban western about learning to stand up for what’s right—the Cowboy Way.
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"2013-14 Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee. This is a rough, but excellent story written in an authentic urban voice. Plenty of action and a heartwarming ending to the story after a dramatic, and brutal beginning. This being said, it may need a warning for the younger end (3rd and 4th graders) of the Bluebonnet audience as there is some violence and curse words."
— Bethe (4 out of 5 stars)
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“A heartwarming story about inner-city kids who bond with a band of forgotten race horses…Gritty street language…the rhythm of the writing, the smells and sounds of the neighborhood, the developing relationship between a boy and his estranged father add up to an appealing novel, especially for an under-written-for segment of young male readers.”
— Christian Science Monitor -
“Boys and their attachment horses haven’t garnered this much attention since the good old days of The Black Stallion. There’s an honesty to Neri’s writing that kids are going to respond to…Definitely recommended for everyone.”
— School Library Journal -
“Neri’s story is original in theme and inspirational in tone and content.”
— Booklist -
“A fascinating glimpse of a culture most readers will not have heard of.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
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A 2012 ALA Odyssey Award Honor Audiobook
Ghetto Cowboy Listener Reviews
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Virgetta Cromwell, 2/17/2019
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" Not exactly my thing (never got into horse stories, although the urban cowboy thing is pretty cool and a nice differentiation from your typical horse story), but this is a great choice for tweens. I'd hand it to kids looking for a different spin on a horse story or kids looking for age-appropriate street lit. Excellent narration by JD Jackson makes this an appealing listen and the music that starts and ends each disc sets the tone nicely. "
— Abby, 2/19/2014 -
" Great read, starring an African-American youth on the cusp of becoming a statistic who discovers his father and horses. The audiobook was well done "
— Kathyred, 2/11/2014 -
" A wonderful, uplifting story about a young man who makes connections and finds direction in his life when he goes to live with his father in Philadelphia and learns the ways of the inner city cowboy. "
— Edward, 2/9/2014 -
" Coltrane's mother, frustrated that Cole is in trouble once again for cutting school, drops him off in Philly with his cowboy father whom he has never met. This urban cowboy story is unusual in subject matter but mostly predictable in plotting. Neri's meticulous attention to dialect helps the reader connect with Cole. Best for grades 6-7. "
— Christina, 1/31/2014 -
" Based on the real-life urban cowboys of Philly and Brooklyn, Ghetto Cowboy tells the story of one troubled boy and how horses help him build a relationship with the father he never knew. "
— Donalyn, 1/30/2014 -
" Read my review at Let's Talk Books "
— Terrie, 1/18/2014 -
" Read it as an audio book, as it was one of the ALA's Odyssey Award Honor books. "
— Kathy, 1/14/2014 -
" A unique story and a quick read. I really enjoyed it. "
— EL, 1/2/2014 -
" This story about inner city cowboys fascinated me! I enjoyed the story and the historical background. The word cowboy came from slave days? I never knew this! "
— Julie, 11/3/2013 -
" I liked this book and I know a lot of my boy readers will too. Definitely adding this to my classroom library. "
— Lesley, 8/21/2013 -
" Urban Cowboys in Philly? Who knew? I enjoyed the voice in this story, even if the main character was a total brat. The plot was a little too "compact" for me - wrapped up a little too neatly. "
— Jennifer, 7/13/2013 -
" Loved this book and I'm not even a horse person! I loved that it was based on actual urban horse farms, which I had no idea actually existed. If you get a chance to listen to the audiobook, it's quite good. "
— Samantha, 10/4/2012 -
" A positive story of a surprising outreach for ghetto kids using caring for retired racing horses. "
— Martha, 7/26/2012 -
" Endearing look at inner city life and community! Recommended! "
— Mwcalco, 5/23/2012 -
" I found this book unoriginal and cliched. It would have been more interesting if based on a true story, or if stables in Philadelphia are a real thing, interspersed with facts about that. The positive message was heavy-handed and unoriginal and it felt like an afterschool special in its subtlety. "
— Mrs., 2/25/2012 -
" I really liked this one even though it resolved a little quickly and a bit neatly. The author created a strong sense of place and community here. It could've been longer. It had an edgy feel, but stayed appropriate for a middle grade audience. "
— Brenda, 10/31/2011 -
" I really liked the voice and setting of this novel. "
— April, 10/20/2011 -
" A wonderful, uplifting story about a young man who makes connections and finds direction in his life when he goes to live with his father in Philadelphia and learns the ways of the inner city cowboy. "
— Ed, 7/16/2011
About G. Neri
G. Neri is the Coretta Scott King honor-winning author of Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty and the recipient of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award for his free verse novella, Chess Rumble. His novels include Knockout Games, Surf Mules and the Horace Mann Upstander Award-winning Ghetto Cowboy. Neri’s work has been honored by the Museum of Tolerance and the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Antioch University, the International Reading Association, the American Library Association, the Junior Library Guild, and the National Council for Teachers of English. Neri currently writes full-time and lives in Florida with his wife and daughter.
About JD Jackson
JD Jackson is a theater professor, aspiring stage director, and award-winning audiobook narrator. He is a classically trained actor, and his television and film credits include roles on House, ER, Law & Order, Hack, Sherrybaby, Diary of a City Priest, and Lucky Number Slevin. He is the recipient of more than a dozen Earphones Awards for narration and an Odyssey Honor for G. Neri’s Ghetto Cowboy, and he was also named one of AudioFile magazine’s Best Voices of the Year for 2012 and 2013. An adjunct professor at Los Angeles Southwest College, he has an MFA in theater from Temple University.