Friend or Foe

Unbarred

by Patrick Jones

Do the crime, do the time behind bars. But once you've been in, it can be tough to stay out.

Ian's band is finally taking off. But the band's front man and Ian's best friend, Orlando, can't catch a break as a black kid in their white town. Tension with a security guard lands both Ian and Orlando in jail, and when Orlando is held indefinitely, someone will need to take over the band until he gets out. When Orlando chooses Chase, the band's bassist, to step in, Ian is slighted. As Ian's resentment builds, he plots his revenge. One by one, he turns his bandmates against one another, with tragic results. As Ian holds his friends close and his enemies closer, no one can tell which is which―until it's too late. This modern twist on Shakespeare’s Othello takes a gritty look at betrayal, revenge, and obsession.

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Shakespeare, Young Adult

120 pages, Library Binding

First published April 1, 2016

About the author

Patrick Jones is the author of five realistic teen novels, most recently Stolen Car((Walker / Bloomsbury, 2008). His first young adult novel Things Change (Walker & Company, 2004) was named by the Young Adult Library Services Association as a best book for reluctant readers, and was runner-up in the Teen Buckeye Book Award selected by Ohio teens. His second novel Nailed was published by Walker / Bloomsbury in spring 2006 and was a runner-up for the Great Lake Book Award. His 2007 novel, Chasing Tail Lights, is nominated for the Minnesota Books Awards. His most recent (and last) professional publication is Connecting with Reluctant Readers (Neal-Schuman, 2006). In 2006, he won lifetime achievement awards from both the Catholic Library Association, and the American Library Association. Jones is a frequent speaker at library conferences, having visited all fifty states, as well as in Canada, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. Jones grew up in Flint, Michigan, but now lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Read more at his web page www.connectingya.com, including FAQs about Things Change and Nailed (perfect for book reports!). NOTE: After a bruising experience with another author, he's limited his reviews on Good Reads to only raves as not to disturb the "fellowship" of YA writers.

Reviews

[Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for secondary reluctant readers. The chapters are short and the font is not your standard 12 Times Roman. The book begins with Ian being integrated for a crime we yet do not know. The following chapters takes you on a daily look at the events that lead up to and after the crime.

Ian was a member of the PunkFunkers that was lead by his best friend, Orlando, an African American in a predominantly caucasian city of Frisco, TX. Orlando is a hot head and gets into trouble when he punches a security guard. He selects Chase to lead the band while he is in juvie, which offends Ian. Ian decides he is going to make Chase look bad by making it look like Chase is carrying on with Orlando's girlfriend, Desiree. From there the plot picks-up the pace as Ian digs his hole deeper in order to cover his tracks, in the process a lot of innocent people get hurt.

If the story reminds you of Shakespeare, that's because its it is a modern day retelling of Othello. Boys will enjoy this quick read.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book there is a lot of backstabbing and that really irritated me.Esp. Ian.He was in the right to take over when Orlando wasn't there but the moves he made to try to get that title away from Chase were all devious and horrible to other peoples feelings.He really ruined a lot of things that could've been good.The one who loses the most I think is Desiree.She was the most used one besides Ebony in Ian's plan.They were both pawns and we all know it isn't fun being a pawn.In the end there is no band really as most of the members are gone,so there is no music.How sad!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The novel Friend or Foe is part of the Unbarred series of novels (also by Jones) which are modern-day retellings of some of Shakespeare’s best plays. This novel in particular is a reimagining of Shakespeare’s Othello. Instead of a plot revolving around racism, jealousy, love, and betrayal within characters that are part of the Venetian Army, this book is set within the environment of high school, and among friends who are in an up-and-coming musical band. The characters have been renamed (Orlando instead of Othello, Ian instead of Iago, etc.) but whose emotional desires and drives mimic exactly the original work and plot outcomes. Orlando, the leader of the band, is African American and faces racial prejudice within their predominately white town. Following a tussle with a security guard at a pizza restaurant after a successful gig he is jailed for assault while his white friends are eventually released with lesser charges. Without a leader, Orlando passes over long-time friend Ian and instead chooses newcomer Chase (Cassio) as his replacement to control the future of the band. True to the original play, Ian becomes twisted with jealousy and hatred. He delights in finding new, clever ways to destroy the band, sowing the seeds of discord among various characters in order to ruin the lives of those around him, and create as much chaos as possible while deflecting blame onto others.

This book acts as both a good introduction to Shakespeare and provides an interesting comparison between racism during Shakespeare’s time and in our own (especially if this book is being read or discussed along with the original). This novel contains few instances of inappropriate language but it does contain some violence, although it is not terribly detailed. Teens may like this because it is set in modern day and the lives of the band members seem enviable also because of the violence, but I would not have them read this as a replacement for the original. This would be a good recommendation for those looking for an easy quick read. Barely 3 stars.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ian's in a band and they're starting to make a name for themselves. However, Ian's best friend and the front man for the band, Orlando, is black and he seems to be targeted in their mostly white town. An incident lands both boys in jail, but when Ian is released, Orlando is held indefinitely. Then things go incredibly wrong at an incredibly fast pace.

I was astounded by the ending and a bit non-plussed by Ian's nonchalance about some of the things that happened. Good read-alike for Bluford series and Surviving South Side.