Safe Passage

Neri, G. and Brame, David (illus.) Safe Passage

March 26, 2024 by Tu Books

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this graphic novel, we meet Darius and Cissy, who live on the South Side of Chicago, where violence on the streets is all too commonplace. It's been a year since Darius' mother was killed, and he struggles to get along with his stepfather, an Iraq war veteran who has struggled to find work. The two kids (Darius is 15, Cissy, 13) see a peice of mail that indicates they may get evicted, which is not good news on the anniversary of their mother's death. With the help of the stepfather, who helped kids walk to school with other former members of the military, the kids make it to school, although there are very important rules about walking the streets of the South Side. At school, Darius meets his friend Booger (Charles), who does not impress Darius' stepfather. Booger is very invested in social media and embraces the values of rap singer-wannabes who glorify money and violence. Booger has a plan; he's seen on social media that a Brinks truck has overturned, and people are grabbing money. Although Darius has a spelling test, he agrees to go with Booger to try to grab some of the money. Of course, this means skipping school and straying from the safe path his stepfather prescribes. The boys take off, getting a bus some of the way. They get hassled by younger kids when they leave their neighborhood, and Darius finds out that Booger is carrying an unloaded handgun. He doesn't like this idea, nor does he like the fact that Cissy has followed the two. She wants to keep him safe, and the boys can't seem to ditch her. They see the Brinks truck, but aren't able to get near it because of the police. They do manage to get a Brinks bag, but it does not have money in it. This does not stop Booger from posting (as his name of choice, Big Money) that he HAS found money. This doesn't seem like a great idea to Darius, and soon the kids find out why. Not only are people who have seen the post trying to find them, but they must cross several unfriendly neighborhoods in the three miles they need to traverse to get home. Darius' backpack was taken in the encounter with the younger children, so he doesn't have any money, and Booger loses his bus pass. They do find some kindness along the way; they hide out in a drug house and are unharmed, and are fed and counseled by a man and woman in a mosque. They are approached by text by a rapper and social media presence, Drilla (aka White) Mike, and are so desperate at one point that they think about accepting his help. At their lowest point, Booger is shot in a pawn shop, Darius is cuffed by the police, and Cissy tries to get help. An unhoused woman who used to be a nurse does manage to patch Booger up, but Cissy is taken by Drilla Mike's minions. Darius makes his way there and is held at gunpoint while he explains there never was any money. Things look bleak until Mike sees a sketch that Darius has made of him, and lets the kids go. They drop Booger at the hospital and finally arrive home, where the stepfather greets them tearfully. Things are not great, but each new day brings new possibilities, and the three will stick together and try to make their way in a dangerous world. This is a companion to the 2010 Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty.

Strengths: While Neri's books address racial iniquities and are painfully insightful discussions of life in a very difficult community, Safe Passage reads like an adventure novel. Imagine My Side of the Mountain if Sam Gribley were fending off drug dealers instead of bears, and having to ride buses without money instead of burning out the inside of a tree for somewhere to live. I can only imagine that Neri (with Brame's aptly dark yet vibrant illustrations) is showing us Chicago as it really is, in the same way that Jean Craighead George showed us the beauty and danger of the outdoors. Darius is having a difficult time; not only has he lost his mother, but his leg was injured in the attack, and it still pains him. He wants to do well in school, but is tired of listening to his stepfather. He wants to protect Cissy, but is also irritated by her. Cissy finds it hard to believe that Darius is listening to Booger, who is clearly not making good choices. Somehow, their attitudes make the adventure they unwillingly find themselves on seem all the more compelling. They have to rely on the skills they have gained to make their way home. There are many poignant moments, such as visiting their mother's grave in Woodlawn Cemetery, and discussing the mother's death with Drilla Mike, but what really struck me is how similar this was to other survival adventure books. Like Karma in Johnson's Falcon Wild, Darius doesn't want to be in danger, but it's fascinating and exciting to watch him use his skills to complete his epic journey. 
Weaknesses: I'm not sure it's okay to pitch this as an adventure graphic novel. It's horrible that so little progress has been made in Chicago that children are still this unsafe getting to and from school. This is not my world, so I don't really understand it and don't feel qualified to speak to how things should change. This seems like it should be studied as a much more serious exploration of social justice, even though it was such a compelling adventure. There is an on page death of Darius' mother, so this is better suited for middle school and high school readers. 
What I really think: This was such an intriguing book, and Darius' journey is a valuable one for readers who are not familiar with his world to experience. Broaddus' Unfadeable and Undercover Latina have a similar feel to them. Neri's 2011 Ghetto Cowboy (renamed Concrete Cowboy for a 2020 movie) and 2021 Polo Cowboy, offer different views of Chicao, as does Chess Rumble (2008).  There's a nice interview of Neri by Robert Kent from 2013.