Book Review by Aarene Storms: The Young Inferno

The Young Inferno
by John Agard, 
illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura

If only I'd charged my mobile phone I could have texted my parents there and then:

Off 2 Hell with teacher Aesop. Not alone.

So writes the nameless narrator as he follows Dante's footsteps into the nine circles of Hell.

Dante was escorted by the poet Virgil; this hoodie-clad adventurer is guided by the storytelling slave Aesop. Those who remember Dante's version of Hell will find much that is familiar here: the screams of the indifferent echo as they are stung by wasps, the gluttons are forever eating and never sated, the big-spenders and tight-fisters are engaged in eternal dispute overseen by Mammon.

Yet, there are new residents as well: Einstein is in the third circle, doomed by the theories he proposed that allowed others to create horrible weapons. Hitler resides in the seventh circle along with Herod and the un-named American president responsible for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Use the book as an entry-point to Dante's work, or as an add-on to the original. The author deftly mimics the original scansion of the Italian, which translates well into a rhythmic hip-hop modern version. The jagged black-and-white drawings are perfect for this "scary-movie" interpretation of the classic work.

Teens will probably not pick up The Young Inferno on their own, but they will thank the adults who share it with them.

Rating:

Recommended for readers ages 14 to adult.

The events may not have happened; still, the story is true. --R. Silvern

Aarene Storms, youth services librarian

Richmond Beach and Lake Forest Park Libraries, KCLS