"Sleepers", by lorenzo Carcaterra, summary of the book, quotes, questions, written in essay format
You know how the old saying goes, "Revenge is a dish best served cold". Lorenzo Carcaterra tells the story of 4 young boys seeking vengeance on a group of prison guards. He really demonstrates the powers of true friendship and loyalty under pressure.
This is a true story of four average 12 year old boys growing up in one of the toughest New York neighborhoods, Hell 's Kitchen, during the 1960 's. In just one day, one stupid decision changed them for the rest of their lives. The plan was to scam the hot dog man and eat for free by stealing the hot dog cart. But he was faster than they had anticipated and they accidentally sent the cart tumbling down a flight of stairs onto an elderly man below, nearly killing him. They were sentenced to spend a year at the Wilkinson Home for Boys, but the home was far worse than any hell they could have imagined. Night after night for a full year they were raped, molested, and beaten by 4 of the guards at this facility. Together they vowed that someday they would get theirs. When they were released they had their freedom, but their innocence had been stolen from them. All they could do was pick up the pieces and move on with their lives, Michael became a lawyer, Lorenzo became a writer, and Tommy and John became hit men. One fateful day, 10 years later, Tommy and John were enjoying dinner at a restaurant they visited often. Over in the corner they spotted one of the familiar faces that haunted their nightmares, and scarred them for life, just sitting there eating diner and reading the paper. Remembering their vow for revenge they walked over and loaded 4 shots into his head, paid their bill and walked out.
For the trial Michael requested to be the prosecuting attorney, which he purposely botched up. The verdict for John and Tommy came back not guilty. As for the other 3 guards, they framed one for a murder that John and Tommy committed. They sent a hit man after one of them. And for the last one who was married with a wife and
This is a true story of four average 12 year old boys growing up in one of the toughest New York neighborhoods, Hell 's Kitchen, during the 1960 's. In just one day, one stupid decision changed them for the rest of their lives. The plan was to scam the hot dog man and eat for free by stealing the hot dog cart. But he was faster than they had anticipated and they accidentally sent the cart tumbling down a flight of stairs onto an elderly man below, nearly killing him. They were sentenced to spend a year at the Wilkinson Home for Boys, but the home was far worse than any hell they could have imagined. Night after night for a full year they were raped, molested, and beaten by 4 of the guards at this facility. Together they vowed that someday they would get theirs. When they were released they had their freedom, but their innocence had been stolen from them. All they could do was pick up the pieces and move on with their lives, Michael became a lawyer, Lorenzo became a writer, and Tommy and John became hit men. One fateful day, 10 years later, Tommy and John were enjoying dinner at a restaurant they visited often. Over in the corner they spotted one of the familiar faces that haunted their nightmares, and scarred them for life, just sitting there eating diner and reading the paper. Remembering their vow for revenge they walked over and loaded 4 shots into his head, paid their bill and walked out.
For the trial Michael requested to be the prosecuting attorney, which he purposely botched up. The verdict for John and Tommy came back not guilty. As for the other 3 guards, they framed one for a murder that John and Tommy committed. They sent a hit man after one of them. And for the last one who was married with a wife and