Sleepers, Lorenzo Carcaterra’s most famous book, was first published in 1995. It is his second non-fiction book and documents another tragic event of his childhood.
Friendship
Lorenzo tells of a life that is tough in a rough part of New York, known as Hell’s Kitchen; it is the place where Lorenzo grows up with his three friends, Michael, John and Tommy.
Prank
Although life is hard for the boys, their lives seem to be happy. They have go-cart races, enjoy comics, movies and play pranks. It is a prank that will be the boy’s downfall.
Lorenzo approaches a vendor with a street cart and asks for a hot dog. He takes it and runs away without paying; the vendor gives chase. In the vendor’s absence Michael, John and Tommy take the cart to the subway. They balance the heavy cart on the top step with the intention of having the vendor try to drag it back up. But, the cart is too heavy and the boys drop it down the steps, where it crashes on an innocent bystander, James Caldwell.
Prison
The boys are taken to juvenile court and sent to a reformatory school for approximately a year each.
While in prison all four of the boys suffer physical, mental and sexual abuse perpetuated by four guards, Nokes, Addison, Styler and Ferguson. The abuse the guards visit upon the boys changes them forever.
Inmates
The pinnacle of abuse takes place when the guards organise a mandatory football game: the boys view it as an opportunity to take their revenge on the guards. They convince another inmate, Rizzo, to take part, as he is the most feared inmate. The boys take on the guards and win but their triumph fails to last. The guards put the boys into solitary confinement and Rizzo is beaten to death.
Freedom
After the boys have served the required year, they are released. But, they are never the same again; the friendship has been forever altered. Over the years they have slowly drifted apart.
As adults, Michael has trained as an attorney, Lorenzo is working as a journalist and John and Tommy are killers for the mob.
Revenge
One fateful evening John and Tommy walk in on Nokes in a restaurant and execute him in front of witnesses. John and Tommy are arrested for Nokes murder; Michael takes the case against his friend. However, he doesn’t want to win, he wants to lose. The trial will be the boy’s final stand against the injustice they suffered as children.
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