Jewell Parker Rhodes’ Black Brother, Black Brother (2020)
A coming-of-age story about two brothers, one who presents as white, the other as black, & the complex ways in which they are forced to navigate the world, all while training for a fencing competition.
Donte Ellison wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep, Massachusettes, he feels as if he is constantly swimming in a sea of whiteness. Most of the students don’t look like him. They don’t like him either. Dubbed the “Black Brother,” Donte’s teachers & classmates make it clear they wish he were more like his lighter skinned brother, Trey. Quiet, obedient. When an incident with “King” Alan, the school fencing champion, leads to Donte’s arrest & suspension, he knows the only way to get Alan to show him some respect is through fencing.
Coached by a former Black American Olympic fencer, Arden Jones, Donte embarks on a journey to carve out a spot on Middlefield Prep’s fencing team & maybe learn something about himself along the way.
Powerful & emotionally gripping, Black Brother, Black Brother is a careful examination of the school-to-prison pipeline & follows one boy’s fight against racism & his empowering path to find his voice.
The ONLY downside of this book was the repeated use of the word 'fair', when just / justice would have been more effective word choices.
Also, what's with the hopscotch?
Part 1: The Crime
Chapter 1 Black Boy p3-9
Chapter 2 The Walk p10-15
Chapter 3 Jail p16-19
Chapter 4 Rescue: In black & white p20-22
Chapter 5 Home p23-29
Chapter 6 Suspended p30-36
Chapter 7 Making plans p37-44
Chapter 8 Revelations p45-49
Chapter 9 Quest p50-51
Chapter 10 Try & try again p52-66
Part 2: Training
Chapter 11 First position p69-74
Chapter 12 Can’t move p75-79
Chapter 13 Back to school p80-88
Chapter 14 On guard p89-98
Chapter 15 The strip p99-
Chapter 16 Reconnaissance p100-115
Chapter 17 Sorry p116-122
Chapter 18 Parry p123-124
Chapter 19 Teamwork p125-133
Chapter 20 Hearing p134-146
Chapter 21 Celebrate p147-148
Chapter 22 Riposte p179-152
Part 3: Bout
Chapter 23 Happiness p153-156
Chapter 24 Etiquette p157-158
Chapter 25 Tournament p159-169
Chapter 26 Aftermath p170-177
Chapter 27 Car talk p178-184
Part 4: Seeing Me
Chapter 28 Mirror p187-190
Chapter 29 July try-outs p191-1999
Chapter 30 Book sense p200-207
Chapter 31 Success p208-209
Chapter 32 Head high p210-226
Chapter 33 Triumph p227-229
Chapter 34 Epilogue p231-233
Chapter 35 Afterword p235-239
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