Black Brother, Black Brother

by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Book Overview

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

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. Framed. Bullied. Disliked. But I know I can still be the best.

Sometimes, 12-year-old...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316493805
• ISBN13: 9780316493802
• Release Date: March 2020
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.5" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

A great short, simple read on race, systemic inequality, and finding one's place

There are many parallels that Jewell Parker Rhodes draws out between the private school and the inner city. She also draws a lot on race and how people who look different are treated. The sentences and chapters are short and easy to read and follow. Yet, I found the plot a bit too cliche and overdone for my tastes. The obvious bad guys are bad and the protagonist obviously is going to win in the end. Some of the plots felt forced to move along and end predictable. Toward the end, Rhodes seems to add her own comments using the voice of the characters. I was surprised to learn about Alexander Dumas and his father. Though many people face the real-world problems faced in the book, this can be a good intro for anyone curious about race in America. 3/5. Good fiction on institutional racism, determination, and finding one's place in an alien world.