Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes

 

Yesterday, I finished reading Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes. This sports fiction novel is about Donte, a twelve-year-old biracial boy who is one of the few black boys at Middlefield Prep. The teachers all wish he was more like his lighter-skinned brother, Trey, and he is bullied by the captain of the fencing team, "King" Alan. After Donte is suspended from school and arrested for something he didn't do when he is framed by Alan, he seeks out a former Olympic fencer, Arden Jones, at the Boston Boys and Girls Club to learn how to fence to beat Alan at his own game. Initially, Mr. Jones wants nothing to do with Donte, but when Donte comes back the next few days to help out, Mr. Jones agrees to begin training Donte. As the months go by and the tryouts for Middlefield Prep's fencing team approach, Donte makes new friends, grows closer to his brother, and learns about the systemic racism in fencing in his fight for justice.

I thought this novel was compelling from the very start. In addition to being scared for Donte when he was arrested and had to spend time in a jail cell before his parents came to rescue him, I was furious at Alan for saying that Donte threw a pencil at a girl in their class when it was Alan himself. In the same position as Donte, I would have wanted revenge, too, and I thought his goal to beat Alan at fencing was a good idea. As the story went on, I really enjoyed Donte's relationship with his brother, Trey. Even though Donte wanted fencing to be his own thing at first, I liked how they spent more time together when Trey joined Donte's training sessions with Mr. Jones. I was also fascinated by Mr. Jones's story when he finally opened up to Donte about why he quit fencing. It helped me understand the history of racism in fencing and why the issue still persists now. There were definitely times when I wondered if Donte would ever be good enough to win against Alan, so I was extremely happy with the satisfying ending. Black Brother, Black Brother is an outstanding choice for sports fans and will also appeal to those interested in reading stories about the fight for justice.