Jeff Hobbs had taken his chance friendship with his college roommate Robert Peace, and turned it into a biography that gives all readers a new perspective on a life many are unfamiliar with. “The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace,” follows Robert Peace, an African American man who grew up in New Jersey and eventually went to college at Yale, however his whole life he struggled with succumbing to the ways of the streets, or rising above the streets and using his intelligence to give him a better life. However, immediately readers know the latter to be false, because Peace dies.
This novel takes you on a journey and is heart wrenching because Robert Peace is an amazing likeable man. His mom knew her son was special, and saw a knowledge in him she had never seen in others before. She saved up her $600 a month salary to send him to private school which cost a third of that. Rob’s father was a drug dealer and was incarcerated for a double homicide. Drugs were a prominent factor in Rob’s life and were often a source of income.
Jeff Hobbs, the author, was a wealthy man who had grown up in a family full of Yale alumni. He was not expecting to have a roommate like Rob at Yale. However, their juxtaposition created a great friendship both cherished and which encouraged both to be better men.
Based off of where he grew up, East orange New Jersey, Rob was destined for a life on the streets. His mother did what she could to get him away from that. For a while private school kept Rob safe and sheltered. However, at Yale he began selling drugs and was almost kicked out. Throughout his four years selling, He made $100,000. He spent some of that on books and school supplies, and gave a a bit of it to his mom never telling her how he made that money. After the four years, he had saved $60,000. However, this money was stolen by a family member.
This created a turning point in Rob’s life. He lost momentum and heart, and couldn’t pick himself back up. He wanted to go to grad school, but never followed through. He taught high school biology at his alma mater, which was not the best job but got him by. After he stopped teaching, he worked at the airport putting luggage on planes,and used this job to travel. He never used his Ivy league education to propel him into the working world, which all of is other classmates had done.
This book appealed to me, because this was a side to life I could not relate to. I grew up in a very white dominate area in Los Angeles and attended private school, just like my father had. I knew Rob’s lifestyle was one that many others lived, but I had never been immersed in it before. Every page took me on a journey through a lifestyle I had never known.
I have learned so much from this book,and it has truly opened my eyes to a way most Americans lived. The way the story was written, I feel like I knew Robert personally, like I was with him on this journey. When his mother was disappointed in his life choices so was I. When his father died and he cried, so did I.
Check out this interview with the Jeff Hobbs on NPR to learn more about his perspective on writing the book.
I feel it is important reading a book like this to understand and acknowledge the privileges that we have that many do not have. For me reading this book, I wanted to use my privileges to help others and help make their lives better. That is what Rob would have done and wanted to accomplish, but ultimately could not.
Point of reflection for you, reader. As anyone ever come into your life that has left you in awe, and changed your life for the better? How would you honor them? Who is it? Let me know in the comments.
The one of the many takeaways I had from this book was how amazing Rob must have been to have his friends and family want to work together to write a book to honor him. I would recommend anyone to read this book and use it as a way to take your mind on a journey to some place new. This book opens minds and allows for a new perspective on life. The book is beautifully written and gives a wonderful legacy to a great man who suffered an untimely death.