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

Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

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

A beautiful, elegiac remembrance of a friend

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not possible, but yes.

Any additional comments?

Gorgeously written, deeply felt memoir of the author's Yale roommate, the ironically named Robert Peace. Whether he was 'Newark-proofing' himself as DeShaun or 'fronting' as Yalie Rob, Peace was a brilliant, engaging, profoundly conflicted young man. Author Jeff Hobbs writes as though he were born to tell his friend's story. The narrator George Newbern is one of the best I've heard on Audible. No embellishments; just a real understanding of and appreciation for the author's prose.

A neighbor's response

I live next to Orange Park less than a mile away from Robert Peace's home. I am a retired Ruckers University professor and worked many years five minutes away by foot from Robert's high school.

Jeff Hobbs' text is profoundly moving. There is not world enough or time to lose such talent and humanity. As a species we human beings must improve the world one person at a time, each beginning with herself or himself.

Good Read!

I used this book for my book club. Very good for discussion. Definitely recommend!

Exceptional Nonfiction Book-A Must Read/Listen

This is an artfully crafted, exceptional book about a beautiful and complicated man. The narration was excellent. Well worth a credit!

Excellent Book on So Many Levels

Profoundly relevant to the obstacles faced by urban youth. Very well written. Highly recommended book.

A very minor point - Benedictine priest are not called "Frier". Franciscan priest are, Benedictine's are called Father.

heartbreaker from the beginning

Where this book ends is written right on the cover. Nonetheless, it is quite a tale of the strange arc of Robert Peace's life. The author being his college roommate adds a very personal and close up dimension to the story. I listen to a lot of books on Audible. This was one of the best.

Intricate, nuanced bio

Well written bio of the author's college roommate. Rob Peace sounds like a striking you man who had a lot of cards stacked against him and a lot of extraordinary chances to mitigate some of those cards. if a life can be weighed by how the people.who are left behind feel about a person than Rob Peace was a very worthy person.
I read the other reviews before buying this title and now wonder what book some of them listened to...

Excellent Book

Quite possibly one of the best books I've ever read. Tragic... stories like these are the reason I became an educator.

I felt like I knew him

Well, Jeff, you got your book. I'm glad you knew Rob so I could too

Fantastic Listen

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

Riveting, tragic, and a must-read/listen

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace?

How hard he worked to fight for his dad.

What about George Newbern’s performance did you like?

His voices make him one of the greats

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, in car rides was best