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The Jacket | |||
The Jacket |
When Phil sees another kid wearing his brother's jacket, he assumes the jacket was stolen. It turns out he was wrong, and Phil has to ask himself the question: Would he have made the same assumption if the boy wearing the jacket hadn't been African American? And that question leads to others that reveal some unsettling truths about Phil's neighborhood, his family, and even himself.
作者简介 With more than forty books in print, Andrew Clements is the best-selling author of Frindle, The Landry New, The Janitor's Boy, and The School Story. All of these "school stories" have appeared on numerous state award lists.
When asked what prompted him to write The Jacket, Mr. Clements says: "If a white kid grows up in the majority culture in America, sooner or later there will come a realization that children from other races may have had a very different experience, may have lived in a different America. I vividly remember that realization in my own life. I wanted to write a story about that moment when unconscious prejudices rise to the surface, a story that would both explore differences and emphasize our common humanity." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
媒体推荐 From School Library Journal
Grades 4-7--Sixth-grader Phil sees another boy wearing his younger brother's jacket and accuses him of stealing it. After both of the students end up in the principal's office, Phil discovers that his mother gave the garment to the African-American woman who cleans their house. Lucy Taylor then gave it to her grandson, Daniel, the accused thief. Phil's anger, embarrassment, and confusion over the incident give him a new awareness of race and prejudice. This thin story is more like a character sketch than a fully realized novel. The incident forces Phil to examine himself at a level he has never before considered. He gets along fine with all the kids at school, but all of his friends are white. He has known Lucy all his life, and although he likes her, he has never thought about the details of her life or known that she has a grandson who attends his school. Events are told from Phil's point of view, so Daniel's reactions are experienced on a limited basis only. When the protagonist pays a surprise visit to Daniel's home, he discovers that the neighborhood is almost a mirror image of his own. While purposeful and a bit heavy-handed, the book may spark discussion with a class exploring racism, tolerance, and prejudice. Parents or church youth leaders may also find it useful.
Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Gr. 3-6. In a short, disturbing story, white sixth-grader Phil suddenly faces complex issues of race and class in his comfortable home and school. It begins with an ugly confrontation: Phil is furious when he sees a black kid, Daniel, in the school hallway wearing Phil's brother's jacket. Phil immediately assumes the jacket is stolen. Daniel is angered by the accusation and tears off the garment. It turns out that Daniel's grandmother, Lucy, who works as cleaning lady in Phil's home, was given the jacket by Phil's mother. As Phil wakes up to his own prejudice (Would he have thought the jacket was stolen if Daniel were white?), he questions the unspoken segregation all around him. Why is his neighborhood totally white? Is his father racist? Why doesn't he know Lucy's last name? Is it wrong to have a cleaning lady? Because he is truly sorry, Phil seeks out Daniel in the boy's black middle-class neighborhood and makes some surprising discoveries about what he and Daniel have in common. The plot is purposive, and readers will want more from Daniel's viewpoint, but Clements strips away the platitudes and eschews neat solutions, making this an excellent story to open honest group discussion. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
编辑推荐 Amazon.com
After wrongly accusing a boy--an African American boyof stealing his brother's jacket, Phil--a white boy--has some hard thinking to do. And a tough question for his mom: "How come you never told me I was prejudiced?" This seemingly small school incident turns into a painful, but ultimately satisfying, learning opportunity for the sixth grader, as he explores the myriad influences in his life and the way his thought patterns have formed... and finds a new friend in the process. The intellectual evolution Phil goes through may be somewhat facile for a child his age, but Andrew Clements's message will undoubtedly hit home for many readers. This is exactly the kind of situation that arises every day in schools (and offices and buses) all over the world. Clements is the author of many highly acclaimed children's books, including The Janitor's Boy and Frindle. (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
专业书评 From Publishers Weekly
Originally serialized in the Boston Globe, Clements's (Frindle; The School Story) brief, instructive tale centers on a sixth-grader who one day realizes that he is prejudiced. When Phil spies Daniel, an African-American schoolmate, wearing a jacket identical to one that his mother bought him in Italy (and that Phil had passed down to his younger brother), he assumes that Daniel has stolen the coat. After tussling in the hall, the two sort things out in the principal's office, where Daniel reveals that his jacket was a gift from his grandmother, Lucy; as it turns out, the woman who for years has cleaned Phil's house is Daniel's grandmother. Learning that the jacket now legitimately belongs to Daniel, Phil questions his actions ("What if Daniel had been a white kid? Would I have grabbed him like that?"). The lad's quandary deepens when he suddenly recognizes that his father is, quite blatantly, a bigot. Though lacking subtlety, the story pointedly delivers a timely message and can serve as a springboard for dialogue about tolerance and self-honesty. Clements makes his point without didacticism and with just the right amount of emotion. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.