Black Brother. Black Brother. That’s all Dante hears. It’s the only way anyone sees him. Not as a student, or as a friend, or even as a person. Just as Black Brother. Something has to change.
In Black Brother, Black Brother by Coretta Scott King Honor author Jewell Parker Rhodes (Sugar), Dante is confronted with the stark realization that merely hoping for change isn’t going to work. He’ll have to make change happen.
Dante and his brother, Trey, both attend Middlefield Prep. But Dante is singled out, mistrusted and unfairly targeted by both students and teachers because his skin is significantly darker than Trey’s. When he is suspended and arrested for something that he didn’t do, Dante knows he must take a risk and fight for justice for himself. Fencing might not seem like the obvious route, but Alan, the lead aggressor in Dante’s bullying, holds the role of team captain, and Dante wants to beat Alan at his own game. He finds an unlikely mentor in Arden, a local youth center employee and former Olympic fencer.
Rooted in Dante’s heartbreaking search for a place to belong, Black Brother, Black Brother is a moving look at systemic racism and the school-to-prison pipeline. Strong, believable characters drive the action, making readers feel invested in its outcome. This exhilarating and emotional story shows young readers the power in fighting for what you believe and surrounding yourself with people who will fight with you.
