Heart Transplant

Heart Transplant is about a nine-year-old boy named Sean. His only experience with parenting was the men his alcoholic mother made him call "Daddy." Sean comes home from school one day and opens the door to a pair of corpses, his latest "father's" dope deal ended badly. The police show and the "Welfare lady" is telling Sean how much he's going to love his foster home when an older man arrives. He tells the social worker that he's the father of the dead man and Sean is his "grandson." He offers Sean a choice: come and live with him or take his chances with foster care. Life with the man Sean comes to call "Pop" is paradise compared to the past. A smart student, Sean listens to Pop more than he ever did to a teacher. Still an Outsider, Sean finally has a home that is welcoming and safe. When Sean hits puberty he's bullied daily and his "Outsider" status is cruelly confirmed. Sean never tells, but Pop discovers the truth one day and lets Sean know he hurts when Sean is hurt too. Sean's first experience with empathy comes with an understanding of what emotional abuse is too. Sean's understanding of bullying comes when Pop shows him its true roots - and antidote. Pop gives his son what he needs most: A heart transplant. After Pop's death Sean learns the special sacrifice his father made to give him that transplant, and that final understanding is Sean's legacy.


Genre: Young Adult Fiction