The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace

A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League

By: Jeff Hobbs

Narrated by: George Newbern

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.

©2014 Simon & Schuster Audio (P)2014 Jeff Hobbs

Brilliant

What did you love best about The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace?

"The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace" is a tremendous accomplishment. I offer my deepest gratitude to Jeff Hobbs for his unflinching narrative and devotion to detail. Though I cannot agree with the brief criticism (inconsiderable, in my opinion, set side by side with the scope of this work), The New York Times' Anand Giridharadas wrote the following of the book, perhaps the closest and best encapsulation I've found: "It deserves a turn in the nation’s pulpit from which it can beg us to see the third world America in our midst. Robert Peace, who called his mother “my heart,” was her only and beloved son. But he was our son, too. We are the wondrous country that made him a Yale man. We are the wanting country where even that wasn’t enough to spare him."

Buy This Book

What made the experience of listening to The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace the most enjoyable?

Though the title lets you know the outcome before the first word of the book begins, Jeff Hobbs has you rooting for Robert Peace who is presented with all the triumphs, complexities and foibles of his short life.

Enjoyed the Story, but Not the Narration

How could the performance have been better?

I'm new to audiobooks, and I'm just realizing the narration is told from the perspective of the of who's telling the story, but because the author doesn't appear until the 2nd half of the book, I found the narrator's performance distracting. His attempt to sound "urban" simply didn't work for me.

One of the best audiobooks I have listened to

This book was so good. It profiles the life of Robert Peace. A black male raised in tough Newark, NJ, Rob was a brilliant student, and a charismatic guy. He was an academic star in high school and at Yale, where he studied molecular biology.From the book's title, you know that Rob will have a tragic end. It is tragic. What makes it so painful are Rob's many great qualities, all captured so well in this book. I felt like I knew this guy in a way that rarely happens in a book. This book made Rob and his many worlds come alive to me. Robert Peace's life is one that I could not stop thinking about, even when I was not listening. Now that I am done, it still has a hold on me. This is a fascinating book to hear, and an important one, too. I am thankful to the author for sharing this story.

Disturbing, sad, exceptional

I am so glad I bought this book to listen to! This is such a well-crafted book and it left me feeling both depleted and satisfied that I had read it. The title says it all, and the author does a superb job in getting the reader to feel just how tragic a life this young man with such potential. really had. The book speaks to so many issues socially,economically, politically, and educationally on so many levels and to see the tragic outcome of a person who had so much to give is devastating. Throughout my listing to the book I was continually googling people and events to find out more about them. I intend to do more research to follow the lives of people in the book like Jackie, and I want to know what happened to Curtis. Is he still in jail? There's so much more I want to know. I commend the author for such a well-crafted book, and this book will be in my mind for a very long time.

So very sad

I loved the book. It has appeal for all readers. My only regret was Rob's ending. An eye opener for sure. I recommend this book should be read as part of high school curriculum. It's just that good

Best Story I've Read in a While

If you could sum up The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace in three words, what would they be?

The book is part biography, part history of economic history and part novel. I found myself all at once routing for the character to succeed, piecing together all the forces around him pulling him off track and griped with suspense wondering how Rob Peace would eventually meet his tragic end (no spoiler if you read the title).

While the ending felt a bit rushed and I wanted some more closure, it was an all around great effort. Hobbs did a thorough job of adding context to the actions of main character.

Have you listened to any of George Newbern’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I have sought him out and have one of his titles on my wish list now.

Excellent Listen

I thoroughly enjoyed entering into the life of Mr. Peace, as told by his roommate. I wept near the exposition. Particularly, I appreciated the urban history of Newark given, to help give contextual understanding of life from Robert's mothers youth to her 60s. All throughout the novel I kept thinking, "Move out and stay out of Newark Rob!!" Sad his ending had to be as such. See pieces of my own life in his story. Great read/listen. Well worth your time.

Very good book

Great book. Very sad but interesting account of the life of a very intelligent and seems like kind person who got caught up in making money by selling drugs.

Good listen

I thought this book was really good. Good story and good narrator. Sucks that rob never really found his way nor had a family. From what the book describes sounds like he would’ve been a good father.