Bifocal

by Deborah Ellis and Eric Walters

Book Overview

On the White Ravens' Outstanding New International Books for Children and Young Adults list, 2008

ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Awards Bronze Medal Winner (YA Fiction category), 2007

Snow Willow Award nominee, 2008

CCBC's Best Books for Kids and Teens, 2008

Two bestselling authors join forces to write a powerful novel about racism.

A student arrested on suspicions of terrorism. A high school...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1554550629
• ISBN13: 9781554550623
• Release Date: September 2007
• Publisher: Fitzhenry & Whiteside
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 12 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 7 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

This should go on a lot of YA reading lists

Back when he was a kid, Jay mused, they just used to be kids. Now, there are so many categories and so much tension between them. There's the jocks who rule the school, the Preppies where most of the cheerleaders come from, Cafrica a group of Chinese kids who are trying to be African American, etc. And for the most part, these groups really do not mix--case in point is the school's cafeteria, where you don't need a seating chart to know where to sit, or 'Brown Town' where the students between Black and White hang out. Jay's a jock, "I play football, therefore I am." He's the new kid in a bigger, more racially tense high school. He's a lineman and a strong candidate for college ball, though it surprises him to realize that. He hangs with Kevin, the team captain, and he's part of the elite who in their own words, 'run the school.' Haroon is a Brown. His family emigrated from Afghanistan to be free and safe from politics. He's luckier than most Browns. His parents make a decent living as a university professor of English and a doctor. Haroon's on a team, too, but a totally different one which most of the school is not even aware. Haroon and his team-mates are competing in "Reach for the Top," which is very similar to the popular student quiz program "College Bowl." At the start of the story, the police put the school on lockdown. Haroon and a fellow Brown and "Reach for the Top" team member, Azeem, are both taken by the police. Haroon is released along with the rest of the students. It's a case of mistaken identity on Haroon's part. None of them really know what's going on til they get home and watch events unfold on the evening news. According to the police, Azeem is part of a terrorist organization with plans to blow up public schools. This event galvanizes a school already drawn with tight racial lines. Even families are divided. Haroon's twin sister, Zana, has taken up traditional dress and become far less friendly to the Whites, who some in the school believe are all dangerous and prejudiced. This book starts out with a tense moment and continues to pound on through til the end. You never really know about Azeem, but you do learn a lot about both Jay and Haroon. I've read many novels presenting more than one point of view, but "Bifocal's" two writer team is one of the best I've encountered at making such a story work well. The team's writing styles and world-views really do make the young men's voices sound different. Both young men have a story to tell and some growing to do and you can really see it in the narrative. High School is hard. I, like Jay and Haroon, grew up in a racially tense school, but we only had the White-Black issues, with the turmoil of an incoming Asian population from Vietnam. Life's a LOT more complex for these kids and honestly, it looks as though they are not any closer to a racial solution than we were. I believe this book would be an excellent addition to school libraries and sh

Excellent

I was very skeptical about this book when I received it- what were the chances that a young adult book less than 300 pages long could possibly tackle the subject of racism in a meaningful way? Very good, in fact. Bifocal is an intelligent, open-minded novel about two boys growing up in America- one a quiet Muslim, and one star Caucasian football player. A terrorist threat alerts the school and the community one morning, and both their lives are touched in very different, but thoroughly compelling ways. I am an American minority, and even though I graduated high school several years ago, I thought the terminology used to describe the people and cliques at the school- especially in the cafeteria- were spot on. Neither of the authors cuts corners in terms of just how segregated a school can be, even in a "diverse" neighborhood. The story was portrayed very realistically. There are some scenes that are disturbing, of course- I don't think that a book can properly tackle such a monumental subject without having scenes of that sort. But they are important to the story as a whole, and important for people to read and understand. This book will push buttons- it asks tough questions, confronts controversial topics and expects a great deal from its readers. But it manages, in less than 300 pages of fairly large font, to tackle an important issue facing all people today, and to end with a thoughtful and positive outlook on the world as it may be tomorrow. Overall, it was a great read, and if I had a child, I would want him/her to read it- and I would certainly follow that read up with extensive discussion.

Not what I expected

When I got this book I was put off by the lack of a blurb. Just the statement: There are two sides to every story. You just have to listen. And the dedication: To those we have been told to fear. Pretty heady stuff. But this book did nearly everything right. It was about Jay (a Caucasian football player) and Haroon (a Muslim smart kid). The chapters alternate in first person from each boys' perspective, hence the title. So you get to see the same thing happening from two positions. I was afraid this was going to be about the boys' friendship, how everyone was going to try to get in the way. I was most plesantly surprised. There is tons of plot, and lots of character development. The first half of the book literally flew under my fingertips. The third quarter was not as tightly written, so it dragged a bit (even though a lot of plot occurred here). The last quarter was amazing. Not just because it didn't go where you think it will go, but because it comes up with some amazingly satisfying resolution while thwarting your expectations at every turn. It is also a very topical book, dealing with terrorism, religious intolerance, and high school politics. But these are all delt with in a very universal way. I can imagine folks reading this book years from now (and getting a lot out of it). Highly Recommended for children in upper middle school and high school, also recommended for anyone looking for a great read.

Realistic and Engrossing

In today's world, we never know when our lives are going to change at the drop of a hat. However, most of us don't expect for our very existences to be questioned, and especially not those of us who live fairly normal lives in typical small towns. But when an Islamic terrorist plot is uncovered in just such a place, two high school boys find their lives turned upside down and their values questioned, and they both must make life-altering choices as to how they are going to handle themselves. Haroon is a Muslim who is studying for a chance to be on the school's Reach for the Top academic team, but his life undergoes a terrifying shift when he is mistakenly taken out of his classroom as part of the terrorist plot that is uncovered. Even though his identity is secured fairly quickly, Haroon finds that life's going to be different; others look at him differently based on his religion and the color of his skin, things he'd never before thought much about. Haroon tries to keep things as normal as possible, but it's difficult when his twin sister Zana decides that her way of dealing with Muslim prejudice is to don the veiled abaya that makes her even more identifiable. Jay is a star football player in his first year at the local high school; he's a good student who is pleased to find himself accepted as part of the in crowd. His whole life is focused on football until the team captain begins to let his prejudices against those different from him show; Jay finds himself swept up into an incident that quickly grows out of control. What Jay decides to do to rectify the situation reveals his own character. Told in chapters that alternate between Jay's and Haroon's first-person points of view, this is an exceptional novel that speaks directly to today's headlines. Haroon and his family face prejudice simply because of their religion, and Jay and his family have to decide if their church beliefs allow them to display their own prejudices. The fact that the boys' lives don't really intersect gives the book a realistic feel, and the author does not shy away from the hard words or facts that most people are unwilling to face. Rarely has a book made me think so much or wonder so deeply about what makes us human. The book doesn't stray into the "happy ever after" domain and it's a very believable situation that many of us may face (or perhaps already do). I would be gratified to see this book as required curriculum in high schools across our country. Well-written and well told, it's a must-read. Highly, highly recommended. Read this book.

A High School Torn Apart by Suspicion

Azeem and Haroon are arrested on suspicion that they may be terrorists. Haroon is let go but Azeem goes to jail. He may be innocent (we never find out for sure). Should he be considered innocent until proven guilty or guilty until proven innocent? Some students choose the former, some the latter. Jay is on the football team. Should he yield to peer pressure or should he go against the flow? Either way, he will suffer. Haroon has suffered the embarrassment of being taken out of his classroom by the police, and he will suffer more if he treats Azeem as innocent until proven guilty. He is pressured to rat on Azeem, but he doesn't know anything incriminating about his friend. Should he disown him anyway? Should he give the police the evidence they want even tho he doesn't know whether or not it is true, thereby perjuring himself? Haroon and Jay don't make all the right choices, but they make more right choices than wrong ones. The authors do a good job of presenting believable teenagers faced with a tough situation, and having to make tough choices under pressure. watziznaym@gmail.com