Ben Westhoff meets Jorell Cleveland through the Big Brother Big Sister program and they become very close over the years, with Jorell staying at Ben's house at times and vacationing with him and his wife. However, as Jorell enters his older teenage years, Ben feels him becoming more distant as is so very common at that age. But nothing remains typical or normal - Ben receives a call that Jorell has been shot and died as a result of his injuries. Ben is devastated and makes it his mission to find out more about what he could have missed, the parts of Jorell that he didn't have access to in the most recent years, and to find out who killed Jorell. In this book, Ben reflects the complexity of who we each are as people and how our life circumstances and environment can contribute greatly to decisions that we make. The impact poverty, gang infrastructure, access to guns, and law enforcement have on society are all addressed, but Ben doesn't attempt to point fingers at one or two quick fixes or sources of the violence that leads to far too many young Black men dying. He embraces and acknowledges the complexity and interconnected nature of factors that often are associated with violence in the inner city. Ben doesn't make excuses for himself, Jorell, anyone else in Jorell's orbit, or society at large but rather forces us to see the whole picture and live in the uncomfortable reality that those we love don't always make the decisions we would like them to and that we aren't always what another person needs. But we are all worthy of love, of being understood, and of not being judged only by our worst decisions.

"Little Brother" is a tribute of sorts to both the city of St. Louis, systematic racism and Jorell Cleveland a young Black man shot to death on the streets. We follow the author as he bonds with Jorell as a mentor and big brother. I found this to be enlightening and also incredibly sad. It's a perfect example of how blind you are to the real world when you are raised in a privileged way. It was fascinating to watch Ben investigate his little brother's murder. He uses his background in the music scene to build trust and come to a conclusion. It speaks to his character how far he was willing to go to help the family get justice. The writing was engaging. The story is too real with the current political climate. I recommend this as a new view to the racial injustices and crime procedures plaguing the U.S.. Check it out.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this Netgalley ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautifully written book. So very many emotions I felt. This book took me away from this crazy world and filled me with all the feels.

I really enjoyed this boom that began as Big Brother/Little Brother relationship and turned into so much more.

I thought the author did an incredible of immersing the reader into St. Louis and what it was like to live there through the years. This is a topic that I am not super knowledgable on and I felt like I am coming out the other side with a better understanding of the violence and poverty that occurs but also the good in people.

I loved being introduced to this family and watching them go through the up and downs.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, the historical information was bit overwhelming at times but was well worth it for seeing the relationship these two developed and the effect that relationship has and is still having on the author.

This book will definitely linger with me and keep me thinking.

"Little Brother" by Ben Westhoff is the true story of Westhoff's Big Brother Big Sister relationship with his little brother Jorell Cleveland. While Westhoff moves around a bit throughout his life, and Jorell often visits him, most of the book takes place in St. Louis. Westhoff provides context about the deep poverty that exists in St. Louis, which has caused an explosion in drugs, guns, crime, and over-policing, which led to the deaths of Jorell and Michael Brown. The poverty that exists in St. Louis is not unique to this city, but Westhoff does discuss essentially the rise and fall of many St. Louis neighborhoods. This is the second book by Westhoff that I have read, and while I enjoy his writing and the subject manner about which he writes, I had a hard time with the way he describes his relationship with Jorell. While I appreciate Westhoff's high expectations for Jorell and how he went above and beyond to mentor Jorell, Westhoff's approach to Jorell is very much aligned with a white savior mentality. As Jorell grows older, he wants to rescue him, which is understandable, but Westhoff seems to make it more about what he thinks Jorell wants than perhaps what Jorell needs. He wants Jorell to trust him, but when he finds out the truth about Jorell, he takes it very personally. I'd consider reading more of Westhoff's future work, but this one left me wanting more.

The author, a journalist, had enrolled in a program in which he mentored an impoverished black youth from a local area. Jorell, who he came to know and love as a happy-go-lucky child, turned into a young adult full of anger and angst. When some years later, Jorell is found brutally murdered and the case goes unsolved, he puts his own journalistic skills to good use and investigates the murder himself.

I thought this was a worthy story to tell. The author painted a full picture and managed to get to the heart of the culture of gangs, drugs, guns and violence in America. It is a tragic story, to exist within a culture, as a teen with angst, issues, and instability, where a easy path is almost laid out and the cards stacked against you. The young immature brain is not known for making the greatest of decisions. Many kids act out: bunking off school, smoking weed, or getting in trouble, but often it’s something they can come back from with some growth and reflection. In contrast, the suffering, pain and ‘acting out’ here is sadly a well-trodden path with dire, irrevocable consequences. The choices that Jorell made, it seemed to be a tragedy waiting to happen; a volcano waiting to erupt. But far more than a statistic or a gangbanger that ‘lives by the street, dies by the street’, the author presented a picture of a grieving single dad, and a promising young man lost in an alluring culture of violence. Someone who couldn’t see that there may have been a way out, and this is a tragedy.

I did, at times, find the writing style heavy with a factual, investigative slant, whereas I usually lean towards raw and emotional memoirs. I did find it particularly interesting as he honestly revealed his own surprise and, in a way, naivety about Jorell’s mental state and the dangerous situation he was in. I gained a lot from this book, think it is important and I recommend it.

5 stars
So much better than I expected. I do feel there is a substantial audience for this book. I absolutley loved it. Thanks for the ARC of this book.

As someone that participated in Big Brothers Big Sisters I could see part of myself in the author of this book. A devastating piece of investigative journalism that anyone who is interested in urban studies/racial disparities would enjoy.