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Black Brother, Black Brother

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Book Synopsis

A powerful coming-of-age story about two brothers – one who presents as white, the other as Black – and the ways they are forced to navigate a world that doesn’t treat them equally.

Donte wishes he were invisible. As one of the few black boys at his school, 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.

When an incident with a white student leads to Donte’s arrest and suspension, he’s sure the only way to get even is to beat the student at the school’s most valued game: fencing.

With the help of a former Olympic fencer, Donte embarks on a journey to carve out a spot on the school’s fencing team and to find a way to make people at school see past the colour of his skin to who he really is.

From NYT bestselling author Jewell Parker Rhodes, another poignant and gripping story about how children and families face the complexities of race and racism in today’s world.

Our Review Panel says...

Black Brother, Black Brother is a powerful story of a boy’s path to finding his voice against racism and discovering who he is.

The Ellison family have moved to Boston from New York and brothers Donte and Trey are new arrivals at Middlefied Prep, a private school. Trey is immediately popular – however, Donte struggles to fit in. As sons of a biracial family, Donte soon finds out that having a different colour skin from his brother means that he is treated differently. The pupils view him with suspicion and it is not long before Donte is the focus of taunts and jibes of ‘Black Brother’ called his way, fuelled by ‘king’ Alan. After a seemingly trivial incident during which Donte is wrongly accused, events quickly escalate and he is arrested and suspended from school. Wanting others to see him for who he is and tired of feeling invisible, Donte decides to try and beat Alan at his own game: fencing. Donte journeys to inner city Boston – a world away from the rich white suburbs where he currently lives – to enlist the help of a once Olympic fencer. But will he help Donte? Will the children and headmaster at his school ever accept him? Will Donte find out who he is inside?

This is an important story that highlights the discrimination and inequalities that many face due to the colour of their skin, bringing it into sharp focus in a way that is accessible for middle grade children. This is a story demanding to be read and I found it difficult to put down until it had reached its conclusion. I was both shocked and moved by the sheer unjustness of Donte’s situation. This is truly a children’s story for our times. A thought-provoking and important book for ages 11 and above.

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