Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Black Brother, Black Brother

I would consider this book in the category of mediocre. It didn’t exactly capture my attention, but it didn’t note me either. I love how it incorporates the point of view of a person of color and the racial injustice that people of color, even a twelve year old, sometimes have to experience.

Donte is quite the character. The fact that he gets arrested for a false accusation of throwing a pen at a student is outrageous and yet believable. His brother, Trey, happens to possess a lighter skin tone, bringing him better consequences than his younger brother. Donte finds passion in fencing and he turns out to be a natural. I enjoy how throughout the story, we find out the fundamentals of fencing. It shows how much potential this young man truly has and how much further he has to go, even if we don’t see it.

I wish there would have been more Zarra and Zion. I enjoyed their few appearances and I love how the author made Zarra a skilled fencer, yet still included her mistakes. I also thought it was cool when Zion brought the Boys and Girls Club Fencing Team some Jamaican jerk chicken. It presented a wonderful bonding opportunity for the team. I also wish that we could have seen Zarra and Donte’s relationship blossom into something more than just mutual attraction.

I would say that my favorite character would be Coach or Arden Jones. I love how he has the background of an Olympian fencer, yet he works as the Boys and Girls Club Fencing team coach. One of my favorite moments of the book was when Coach showed his new found maturity towards an old teammate who he had conflict with. Donte had been Coach’s inspiration and Coach was Donte’s. He constantly expressed how much skill and potential Donte possessed and he tried his hardest to enhance it. He wanted to help Donte avoid making the same mistakes he made. The character growth of Coach was a wonderful addition to the story.

One of the most epic scenes of the book was the final bout between Alan and Donte. Alan, who was skilled but arrogant, had been the one who had framed Donte and gotten him arrested. Donte’s original motive for learning how to fence was vengeance on Alan, but as he grew, he realized that he loved the sport itself and he wanted to play to better himself and be the best. Donte realized that revenge wasn’t the answer. The pure skill between the two fencers and the new found sight of Donte and who he truly was beyond his skin truly marked a wonderful ending to the book.

Content Warnings

reevins's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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