The Fourth Boy: A Memoir

Four boys found friendship on Vine Street. Only one remained to tell their story. When six-year-old Andrell English moved from Mount Vernon, Alabama, to Hartford, Connecticut, everything felt unfamiliar-until Greg, Michael, and Rashad welcomed him into their world. Together, the four boys shared bicycles, corner-store trips, laughter, arguments, dreams, and the ordinary moments that make childhood unforgettable. But as the boys grew into men and their lives followed different paths, tragedy changed the meaning of their friendship. Michael, Rashad, and Greg were each lost to gun violence, leaving Andrell to carry their memories-and a haunting question: Am I next? The Fourth Boy is a deeply personal memoir about friendship, grief, survival, faith, fatherhood, and the responsibility of being the one left behind. As Andrell confronts fear, survivor's guilt, and the fragility of life, he begins to understand that surviving does not mean waiting for tragedy. It means choosing to live with intention. More than a story of loss, The Fourth Boy is a tribute to three lives that mattered and to the childhood bond that time and death could never erase. It is a powerful reminder to cherish the people we love, walk away from conflicts that are not worth the cost, and use every day we are given. Three boys left too soon. The fourth boy remembers.