Brother Hood

by Janet McDonald

Nate Whitely's life at a prestigious prep school in upstate New York takes him far from his Harlem home but not so far as to sever the strong bond he has to his neighborhood. Like his prep school friends, Nate is doing well academically and has his sights set on college. But complications from one life intrude into the other. His childhood friend Hustle won't give up his street-smart ways and doesn't want Nate to either. Nate's older brother, Eli, just can't seem to keep things together and is headed for major trouble. Will Nate be able to sustain these powerful ties without jeopardizing all that he's achieved?

This provocative story about a young man straddling two very different worlds unfolds against a backdrop of brotherhood and betrayal, friendship and loyalty, and captures the dilemma of those who would carve out a unique destiny for themselves.

Genres: Young Adult, Urban

176 pages, Hardcover

First published September 13, 2004

About the author

Janet McDonald was an American writer of young adult novels as well as the author of 'Project Girl', a memoir about her early life in the Brooklyn projects and struggle to achieve an Ivy League education. Her best known children's book is Spellbound, which tells the story of a teenaged mother who wins a spelling competition and a college scholarship. The book was named as the American Library Association's Best Book for Young Adults in 2002.

In addition to books, McDonald also wrote articles for publications such as Slate, including one in which she paid psychic Sylvia Browne $700 for a telephone reading. McDonald was a member of Mensa, the high IQ society.

After graduating from Vassar (1977), Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism (1984), and New York University Law School (1986), McDonald practiced law in New York City (1986-1989) and Seattle (1989-1991). She took a position as an intern at a Paris law firm (1991-1993) before moving to Olympia, Washington to work in the Attorney General's office and teach French language classes at Evergreen State College. McDonald settled in Paris in 1995 to work first as an international attorney and then as a writer, until she died of cancer in 2007


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Reviews

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The style wasn't for me, but some important themes in this book.

[Carrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Brother Hood, Janet McDonald tells the modern-day story of Nate, torn between his boarding school friends and the family and friends still home in Harlem. In the very beginning of the book, she makes this obvious when Nate slips into a train station bathroom to change out of his school blazer and into the uniform of his Harlem friends – baggy jeans and a do-rag. His friends from home give him a hard time about attending a prep school full of rich kids, while they work the streets to make money. His brother is especially troublesome to Nate, as he has dropped out of school, has fathered several children that he cannot support, and seems to constantly be in some sort of trouble. Nate feels guilty that his own achievements have helped to make his brother act out. He is also torn between his feelings for a rich African American girl – Willa – at school and the girl back in Harlem that he has dated for a long time – Shantay.

Nate’s eyes are opened to the double-standards in modern society. He’s treated differently depending on his clothing. Illegal activities happen both at school and home, but it is only the boys from home who get into trouble. When he meets Willa’s parents at Thanksgiving, they do not hide their snobbery and look down on African Americans will less money then they have. Nate is also surprised to learn that his closest friend at school – Spencer – is Jewish but feels the need to hide his religion for fear of discrimination. Nate fears he will lose everything he has worked for when he is arrested.

Nate is lovable, although at times a bit too perfect. Young adult readers will relate to his troubles, though. The rest of the characters are honest, with Hustle being especially endearing despite his criminal efforts. McDonald captures the slang and culture in a true manner, although the multitude of references to clothing labels will risk dating this book fairly quickly. She is able to describe the various settings in the book in a way that helps the reader to understand how opposite Nate’s two lives are, sometimes spending too much time on description that might have been better spent on the story. While the book has some problems, it would work well as a companion piece to New Boy to encourage discussion about where we were as a county 50 years ago and to ask how far have we really come.

[Calvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about painful life for Gangsta.