The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League

4.4 | 5,338 ratings

Price: 19.68

Last update: 12-14-2024

About this item

A heartfelt, and riveting biography of the short life of a talented young African-American man who escapes the slums of Newark for Yale University only to succumb to the dangers of the streets - and of one's own nature - when he returns home.

When author Jeff Hobbs arrived at Yale University, he became fast friends with the man who would be his college roommate for four years, Robert Peace. Robert's life was rough from the beginning in the crime-ridden streets of Newark in the 1980s, with his father in jail and his mother earning less than $15,000 a year. But Robert was a brilliant student, and it was supposed to get easier when he was accepted to Yale, where he studied molecular biochemistry and biophysics. But it didn't get easier. Robert carried with him the difficult dual nature of his existence, "fronting" in Yale, and at home.

Through an honest rendering of Robert's relationships - with his struggling mother, with his incarcerated father, with his teachers and friends and fellow drug dealers - The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace encompasses the most enduring conflicts in America: race, class, drugs, community, imprisonment, education, family, friendship, and love. It's about the collision of two fiercely insular worlds - the ivy-covered campus of Yale University and Newark, New Jersey, and the difficulty of going from one to the other and then back again. It's about poverty, the challenges of single motherhood, and the struggle to find male role models in a community where a man is more likely to go to prison than to college. It's about reaching one's greatest potential and taking responsibility for your family no matter the cost. It's about trying to live a decent life in America. But most all the story is about the tragic life of one singular brilliant young man. His end, a violent one, is heartbreaking and powerful and unforgettable.

S. C.

Excellent Read!

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2024

I came across a recommendation of this book while on another social media platform and thought I would give it a try. It did not disappoint. It told a story fa,Iliad to a number of us; the tale of realized potential marred by the almost gravitational pull of things we are accustomed to and cannot pull away from - the culture of “the culture,” the culture of our childhood, and the difficulty choosing a side of the fence that will more likely than not carry us further in life than the alternative. The alternative is sometimes hard to say goodbye to and I think this was the case with the subject of this book. Sometimes the pull of family and the overwhelming sense of obligation to them keep us in a funk that takes away from the time we ought to be spending to try to change and cultivate a new and better version of ourselves and our existence. I felt for the subject and the waste of a chance to contribute to a larger community than the only one he really knew.

Canaan

Peace you da monster

Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2014

The human condition is greatly exposed within this book. The spiritual void is well translated throughout the pages. The author's in depth knowledge of the Yale's experience and the transient aspect of American college life is excellent. Go read this book. I give it a 4 out of 5 stars. A star is obviously missing. You will have to read the book to understand. Stop fronting. So, here is what I remember of Peace. He is a big teddy bear. He has no excuse for his morale shortcomings. He is like most of us, a big, charming, walking sack of contradictions. I understand your life as much as I understand mine. Very little. And yet, I can relate to it. The P-Chem, the crystallography, the growing, the escapism of the grandiose scheme of things. I wish you could have made it, so I would never had to read your friends and family distress. Peace you da monster, I have no idea how you achieved what you did and hoped you jump out of that casket like a terrible end of an HBO show, the season finale of the "Burger BOYZ". No cinematography will ever be able to catch the many faces of Rob. Jeff, you are forcing all of us to reconsider a lot of things. I wish you the best for your next book, and hope it will not be about Yale... It would be laziness :). reviews stating that Rob had strong work ethic simply have read a different book.

Spoiler
I hope Rob will not be too mad at me if I was saying those words about him. But since Jeff did it, why can't I??? He is not fundamentally bad. On a Walter White scale, I give Rob Peace a #4 out of 10. He not only wanted (could have) to change the world, cancer research, P15 deposit, essential oil extraction to mix CBD and THC, he also wanted to change his world. All the friends, all the family. He was not selfish enough to save himself first. He felt entitled to save everyone at the same time. He was fronting, all the time. The most arrogant, the most selfish person he chose to be. And I say this because I admire him. I would have given up, I would have walked away from all this madness. But he couldn't, he wouldn't. This is how dedicated, how committed, how fanatical he was. In his academic life, as a son, as a friend. He gave it all in, until the very last second of his existence. Not too many people can say this about themselves or even yet, about a friend they know. I have not a single ounce of doubt that Jeff has not even skim on "who" Rob is, who he was, who he could have been and that what Jeff wrote is "true". This was not the book's scope anyway. Jeff knows this of course. This is why this book is worth recommending. Jeff self awareness turn this book from good, to great. Rob, nobody knows him, he was not a complex guy at all. He was a very simple guy. He was not 50% dealer, 50% Yalie. He was a 100% Yalie, a 100% dealer, a 100% son, a 100% hustler, a 100% horticulturist, a 100% traveller and so on... and you know what? That made him a 100% idiot too. He was the Carl Sagan of drug dealing, but that is giving Rob way too much credits. Or not! The guy was on survival mode 24/7 and decided to play life on hardcore mode. Rob thought that because he could put himself 100% at something he could make it. Until Yale graduation, there is nothing in life that he did not achieve by pushing himself to the max. There are so many "if" in his life. If he would have put the 10000+ hours on the legal work for Skeet to pass the bar..., if he'd went directly to PhD program and taken a loan, if he simply bought a new car, if he'd buried the money with a $15 made in China shovel at the nature camp he's been guiding, if... you know the drill. He was so smart (the snake, the woman, the academia), so disciplined, so tenacious... No superlative can ever describe what he did while being super high. It almost felt that his mind was taking the path of least resistance most of the time which lead to the absurd choice of manipulating his friend to obtain a gun license...! His desperation in life was so strong, that he thought that relying on a person like Kamarish could lead to success! Or he was way too trusting. That is an aspect of Rob! For some this was not surprising, for some it was shocking! Rob, you da monster. A monster we all need to "respect" at least understand, at least contemplate. I would not say that you are the by product of some poverty or something like that, you are way more than that. I would have love fronting with you. Damn Rob. Ministrels like Jay-Z, OFWGKTA, Usher, they will sing your free will till the end of times! Peace.

Katie Kelly

A Gripping Memoir That Stays with You

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2024

As a teacher who devours memoirs, "The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace" immediately stood out to me. This book is a powerful narrative that not only captivates but also deeply resonates with its readers.

Robert Peace's story is heartbreaking yet compelling. Jeff Hobbs masterfully portrays Robert's journey from his childhood in Newark to his Ivy League education and the complexities he faced along the way. As a teacher, I often recommend this book because it sheds light on important social issues and challenges that many of our students may encounter.

What struck me most was the raw honesty in which Hobbs tells Robert's story. It's a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit, but also a reminder of the systemic challenges that shape our lives.

If you're looking for a memoir that will leave a lasting impact and spark important conversations, "The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace" is a must-read. It's a book that stays with you long after you've turned the last page.

Gabrielle Sonet

The stunted life of a most amazing individual

Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2024

I found myself wandering through a used bookstore in CT when I spied a book about someone I actually knew, Robert Peace. I, in fact, was Robert’s and mom Jackie’s dentist for many years, treating both them and several members of their family. After Robert left for college, I never saw him again, but Jackie would always keep me updated on him, until one particular visit when I asked her how he was and she told me the awful news of his passing. Mr. Hobbs has painted a very vivid and beautifully woven story of an amazing young man of whom I knew so little, along with the daily struggles of Jackie, his completely devoted mother. I devoured the book in just three days. Thank you Jeff, for bringing this brief, glimmering flame to life.

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