Bronx Masquerade
by Nikki Grimes
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Book Summary Information
Author: Nikki GrimesEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-12-29
ISBN: 0142501891
Number of pages: 176
Publisher: Speak
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780142501894
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Bronx Masquerade
Book Review: A good read!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you think that a novel with 18 characters with no "main" character would be lame and insubstantial, think again. Bronx Masquerade, written by Nikki Grimes, is basically a compilation of numerous journal entries and introspective poetry, but there's more to it. It is a story about 18 individual high school students with different cultures and backgrounds living in the Bronx who gradually come together while participating in a class poetry slam. As you read the journal entries of these teenagers, you will notice that each student suffers from individual conflicts going on inside of them.
Nikki Grimes, the award-winning author of Jazmin's Notebook and My Man Blue, did an exceptional job of tackling all the issues which were mentioned in the novel, such as abusive relationships, self-consciousness, and high school maternity, but these problems were just tackled, not beaten to death over and over again with a hammer. I think that is actually a good thing because it captures the essence of adolescents. Teenagers usually don't analyze, calculate, or beat their personal issues to death because they already know that life is not perfect and that it can't be perfected like the over publicized hype of Disney and WB.
Additionally, I believe that she did a phenomenal job of making every single individual---well, individual. She did not make everybody totally different with absolutely nothing to relate to each other (e.g. one person is a drug addict living the "ghetto" lifestyle, while another is a rich, white, country homeboy who doesn`t know the word "bankrupt"), nor did she make every character similar (e.g. everybody is Black and poor). All of the characters were realistic, and they give you a sense that they were, in fact, real, or based on real people. I have got to believe that everybody who has read this book has something to relate to at least one of the characters because they are so probable.
I think Nikki Grimes wrote Bronx Masquerade for teenagers who have yet to discover themselves and where they exactly "fit" in society. In this cliquey world, your teenage years are the best time to find your path and to decide if you're going to be the person that society wants you to be, or you're going to be the person who you want to be. I think that Bronx Masquerade was cleverly titled, because at the beginning of the book , almost every student was busy with hiding who they truly were--- Devon, the Jock who likes to read, Diondra, the Tall Girl who is not a basketball player but an artist, Judianne, the seemingly self-confident Fashion Queen who is more self-conscious than you would think...everybody had their own problems. Although not all of the problems were solved in the end (e.g. Amy Moscowitz's issue of her father not loving her enough, and Diondra's conflict with her father who disapproves of her going to an art college), I think everybody learned to love who they already were without changing themselves AND learned not to judge a person superficially---based on their race, sex, or social advantage (or lack thereof). A great example is Tyrone. As he himself, and the whole class read their poems, he began to realize that "...nobody I see fits into the box I used to put them in. (Pg.86)" Of course, there are always two sides to a story. While Tyrone was being plummeted with one surprise after another (e.g. "Dough Boy" Steve can actually rap, both Devon and Raynard aren't as stupid as he used to think, etc.), Porscha is struck with awe when she finds out that Tyrone's poems are true and deep, and containing no trace of derogatory references to sex. Therefore, I believe there are two main themes for Bronx Masquerade because you can`t have one and not the other:
1)Don't be afraid to show the world who you are.
2)Don't judge a book by its cover.
The greatest aspect of the novel is that some characters' issues interlock with others' which again, give a sense of reality. In real life, seldom do people (especially adolescents) learn to be who they truly are without any outside force to guide them. In this particular story, it seemed as though everybody played a certain role and influenced at least one peer, usually for the better. For example, Devon influenced Porscha to write a letter of forgiveness to her mother, Raul influenced Diondra to be more "open" about her artistic talent, Wesley influenced Sheila by telling her that she can't change who she is, but she is free to hang out with whoever she likes, which guided her on the right path, etc.
Overall, Bronx Masquerade was quite an interesting read, for a book that we were forced to complete as an assignment. Usually, worksheets and note-taking vaporizes all the fun out of reading a good book, but Bronx Masquerade, even with all the extra homework which came with it, still maintained its flavor. Like I mentioned before, I thoroughly enjoyed this book because of its reality. It showed that there are multiple sides to a certain story, which often interlock with one another. If I were to compare this to a movie, it would be a combination of CRASH, which deals with racial/social issues, and The Breakfast Club, which is a more lighthearted film involving teenagers from different cliques who bond in Saturday detention. It is incredible how Nikki Grimes managed to tell such a complicated story of adolescence without using difficult words. I give 5 out of 5 stars for Bronx Masquerade.
Summary of Bronx Masquerade
When Wesley Boone writes a poem for his high school English class and reads it aloud, poetry-slam-style, he kicks off a revolution. Soon his classmates are clamoring to have weekly poetry sessions. One by one, eighteen students take on the risky challenge of self-revelation. Award-winning author Nikki Grimes captures the voices of eighteen teenagers through the poetry they share and the stories they tell, and exposes what lies beneath the skin, behind the eyes, beyond the masquerade.
Open Mike Friday is everyone's favorite day in Mr. Ward's English class. On Fridays, his 18 high-school students dare to relax long enough to let slip the poets, painters, readers, and dreamers that exist within each of them. Raul Ramirez, the self-described "next Diego Rivera," longs "to show the beauty of our people, that we are not all banditos like they show on TV, munching cuchfritos and sipping beer through chipped teeth." And while angry Tyrone Bittings finds dubious comfort in denying hope: "Life is cold. Future?...wish there was some future to talk about. I could use me some future," overweight Janelle Battle hopes to be seen for what she really is: "for I am coconut / and the heart of me / is sweeter / than you know" They are all here: the tall girl, the tough-talking rapper, the jock, the beauty queen, the teenage mom, the artist, and many more. While it may sound like another Breakfast Club rehash, Grimes uses both poetry and revealing first-person prose to give each character a distinct voice. By book's end, all the voices have blended seamlessly into a multicultural chorus laden with a message that is probably summed up best by pretty girl Tanisha Scott's comment, "I am not a skin color or a hank of wavy hair. I am a person, and if they don't get that, it's their problem, not mine." But no teen reader will have a problem with this lyrical mix of many-hued views. (Ages 12 and older) --Jennifer Hubert
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