A01=Jeff Boyd
adolescence
Author_Jeff Boyd
black authors
Black family
Black life
book club
Category=FF
chicago
chicago crime fiction
coming of age
contemporary
cop
crime
death and grief
diverse characters
drama
education
emotional
eq_bestseller
eq_crime
eq_fiction
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_new_release
eq_nobargain
extended families
family
family conflict
family ties
forgiveness
grief
high school
hopeful
identity
law enforcement
literary
multicultural contemporary fiction
multiple pov
police
police brutality
police corruption
public school
race
racial tensions
realistic
shooting
social commentary
students
suspense
teachers
teenagers
teens
thought provoking reads
tragedy
youth
Product details
- ISBN 9781250348456
- Weight: 552g
- Dimensions: 170 x 246mm
- Publication Date: 20 Apr 2026
- Publisher: Flatiron Books
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
Secure
checkout
Fast Shipping
Easy returns
Buddy Mack has been caught in the middle of two worlds at war.
As an English teacher at a South Side, Chicago, high school lauded for its football team, but at risk in every other way, he tries to instil a love of literature. While all of his students face challenges, he’s especially concerned with a trio of boys who test him to no end but are full of promise and heart: Zeke, the football star; Truth, the sweet-talking charmer; and Dontell, Buddy’s most promising student.
At home, his wife, Chrissy, a successful corporate lawyer, is ready to upgrade to a big house on the North Side and start a family, but Buddy’s torn over the implications. And the closest person he has in his life to talk to is Chrissy’s little brother, Curtis, a corrupt Chicago cop.
When the two worlds collide in a shocking moment that rocks the school, Buddy has to choose a side and fight for all he holds dear. Hard Times takes stock of what it means to be there for your people whether you want to or not and unflinchingly confronts the American Dream—a moving, engrossing, and necessary read.
Jeff Boyd is the author of The Weight. A former public school teacher from Chicago, he is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He lives in New York with his family.
