Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes

E-Audio, 04:36:37
Narrated by: Barry Buckner
Release Date: March 3, 2020
Published by:  Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Read from: May 1-4, 2020
Stand-alone
Source: Library (Overdrive)
TW: Hate Speech (Racism) 
For fans of: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Social Justice

     From award-winning and bestselling author, Jewell Parker Rhodes comes a powerful coming-of-age story about two brothers, one who presents as white, the other as black, and the complex ways in which they are forced to navigate the world, all while training for a fencing competition.
     Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep, he feels as if he is constantly swimming in whiteness. Most of the students don’t look like him. They don’t like him either. Dubbed the “Black Brother,” Donte’s teachers and classmates make it clear they wish he were more like his lighter skinned brother, Trey. Quiet, obedient.
When an incident with “King” Alan leads to Donte’s arrest and suspension, he knows the only way to get even is to beat the king of the school at his own game: fencing. With the help of a former Olympic fencer, Donte embarks on a journey to carve out a spot on Middlefield Prep’s fencing team and maybe learn something about himself along the way.

*MY THOUGHTS*

     After reading Ghost Boys in 2018, I knew I needed to get my hands on Rhodes’ next book. This one was interesting because of the premise and it wasn’t something I could pass up. And although it wasn’t my favorite, it was definitely something that left me thinking in the end. 

     Two brothers with major differences seem to be living different lives when they were in school. Donte is known as “Black Brother.” Though Trey is also biracial, he’s lighter skinned and people don’t look at him like he’s the trouble-maker. But they do look that way at Donte. When something goes down at school, something snaps in Donte and he knows he needs to do something. He enlists the help of old Olympian fencer to learn more about the sport and beat the kids at their own game. 

     Jewell Parker Rhodes is one of my favorites. But her synopsis always gives everything in the story away every single time. It’s always the reason I can’t give it 5 stars. But I always feel bad because her writing style is always so good and its about important topics. (The only exception to this is Ghost Boys) I knew everything that was happening before it even happened. There was no surprise. Makes me wish I had never read the synopsis. 

     The writing style was amazing. I listened to the audio while I was doing work and several times I wish I had read the book to write down some quotes. This is definitely a book that middle grade has never seen before, but really needs. I love that Rhodes doesn’t hesitate to write things that others seem scared to. 

      The characters were ok, but not as great as I was expecting them to be. I hated more of them than I liked them. It made the bad characters stand out and the good just look ok. No one stood out to me. Not even the main character. The fencer was interesting, but he didn’t really stand out either. None of them were just memorable in a good way. 

     After Ghost Boys I was hoping to see more of that. But it just wasn’t there. I loved the nod to fencing and I liked the characters, but there was nothing else there for me. I still love Rhodes and will still read her grocery list, but this one just wasn’t my favorite. 

Overall, I give this

 

Have you read anything by Jewell Parker Rhodes? Do you like social justice books?

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