New Boy Book Report:
Step 1:
·
New boy.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005. Print.
·
New Boy: Julian Houston:
9780618884056: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.amazon.com/New-Boy-Julian-Houston/dp/061888405X>.
Step
2:
Summary:
New Boy is a book that takes place
in segregated America, late 1950s. The book talks about an African American teenager
named Rob Garret who was accepted to go to a new school by the name of Draper.
Going to Draper meant the Rob would have to leave his hometown of Virginia to
attend school in Connecticut. Rob is the first African American attending
Draper in all its history. At this time and place, it was very hard for him to
fit in as a normal student being the only black kid in the whole school. When
winter vacation comes, Rob heads back to Virginia for the holidays. In
Virginia, he hears that his friends have been organizing a group that is
working on ways to end segregation in their hometown. Rob attends one of the
meetings and learns that they would be organizing a sit-in protest in a
restaurant that refuses to serve African Americans. The sit-in protest would
take place in the spring, and Rob badly wants to be part of the sit-in because
he wants to be able to say that he was there at the beginning. Rob works hard
to try to make it on time for the sit-in, but he has to attend school. Will he
be able to help and make a difference when he’s nearly 500 miles away? Read the
book to find out.
Step
3:
1. What is the
historical setting? Research the actual history of the time and write a brief
comparison
The historical setting takes place in the
segregated U.S.A. in the 1950s. The 1950s was when World War II had just ended.
This meant a lot of people serving in the war could finally go home to their
families. During this time period schools, bathrooms, and even movie theaters
were all segregated. Throughout history, racial discrimination against African
Americans was always present, but in the 1950s to 1960s the resistance against
racial discrimination reached it’s most popular time. White parents even
enrolled their children in all white “segregation academies”. In the 1950s to the
1960s a lot of rebellions also began protesting against segregation. This is
authentic in relation to my book. In “New Boy”, the African Americans are
planning a sit-in protest because they are tired of being treated unfairly.
·
History.com.
A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.history.com/topics/1950s>.
·
- 1950-1959.
N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
<http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade50.html>.
2. What is the
effect of the historical setting(s) on the characters, plot, or theme?
The
historical setting definitely affects the characters and the plot. The historical
setting affects the characters because all of the Americans still have the
mentality that they superior to African Americans, and the African Americans
are trying to break free from the societal chains that they were born in. My
evidence for that statement is in page 259-260: “Occasionally a few white
people appeared: young men driving by, hanging out the windows of their old
cars, smart-aleck types with crewcuts, wearing T-shirts and waving Confederate
flags and yelling, ‘Nigger’ and ‘Coon’ and ‘Go back to Africa.’ ” The
historical setting affects the plot because the whole book is about segregation
and how to put an end to it. My evidence for this statement is on page 185 when
Rob’s friends are planning for the sit-in protest: “‘What would you put on a
leaflet?’ Russell seemed mildly interested in what Roosevelt had to say. ‘A
Call to Action! This store discriminates against Negroes. Don’t give them your
business,’ said Roosevelt, writing out the words in the air with his index
finger.” This statement shows that the African Americans are protesting about
their rights.
·
New boy.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005. Print.
3. Who are the
major character(s)? Describe them. What are some of the author’s characterization techniques?
The
major character is Rob Garret. Rob is an African American teenager. He is very
smart boy, and he has made the honors roll at his school several times. He is a
brave young man with the courage to try and be a part of the protest going on
in Virginia. He really wants to attend the protest, but school makes it hard
for him to. The most obvious characterization techniques the author used were
the reflection and dialogue technique, which helped me understand Rob’s thought
process. Page 25 is a clear example of the dialogue technique. In this excerpt
Rob is talking to his parents: “ ‘It felt like the parents had washed their
hands of the whole thing. I don’t understand it. I guess they didn’t take us
seriously. I was really disappointed.’ ” Page 121 is a good example of the
reflection technique: “Her voice was as frosty as a root beer, but I acted as
though there was nothing out of the ordinary, and I strolled into the apartment
with my hands in my pockets to disguise my lingering nervousness.”
4. From what point
of view is the story told? How does that point of view help develop the main
character
The
story is told from a first person perspective. The point of view really helps
develop the main character because I felt like I was the main character. I knew
all of his thoughts, emotions, plights, and moments of glory as though I lived
his life. With the first person perspective, you really become one with the
character. What’s a better way to learn about character than being in his shoes?
·
New boy.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005. Print.
Step 4:
5. What is the
theme of the novel? (i.e., good vs. evil, overcoming challenges, etc.) Explain!
The theme of
the novel is based on the Injustices of Racism. The theme of my book is
“Injustice” because the African Americans are being treated in a way that is
unjust and unfair. They have segregated bathrooms, schools, and even theaters.
The book takes place where racism was at its height, which shows the reader
their struggle to be treated equally.
Reflection:
I really
enjoyed reading “New Boy” by Julian Houston because I could relate to it. I,
being one of the only Sudanese students in ACS, can relate to how Rob feels in
his new school. I feel like this book was written to remind people of how
African Americans were treated from a teenage boy’s point of view. Overall, it
was a very interesting book to read. It had humor, a bit of romance, and a life
lessons all packaged in 282 pages. I would rate this book a 10/10 for its great
word choice, descriptive abilities, and compelling story. I would recommend
this book to anyone who is interested in African American history. I hope the
person who reads it next will enjoy it as much as I did.
Step 5:
Vocab:
· Pariah (noun):
An outcast.
· Bigotry (noun):
Intolerance towards people who have different opinions than your own.
· Flamboyant
(adjective): Very noticeable.
· Impassive
(adjective): Emotionless.
· Jaunty (adjective): Lively/full of life and
joy.
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