Young Man with Camera

Book excerpt: Emil Sher's acclaimed YA debut is now in paperback! T-- is used to getting grief. Grief from his mother, who worries about him constantly; grief from Mr. Lam, who runs the corner store and suspects every kid of stealing; grief from the trio of bullies he calls Joined at the Hip, whose cruelty has left T-- so battered he fears even his whole name could be used against him. But T-- has his own strength too: his camera, which he uses to capture the unique way he sees the world. His photos connect him to Ms. Karamath, the kind librarian at school; his friend Sean, whose passion for mysteries is matched only by his love for his dog, Watson; and most of all to Lucy, a homeless woman who shares his admiration for the photographer Diane Arbus. When Lucy is attacked by Joined at the Hip, T-- captures the assault on film. But those images lead him into even deeper trouble with the bullies, who threaten to hurt Sean if T-- tells. What's the right thing to do? Do pictures ever tell the whole truth? And what if the truth isn't always the right answer?