Module 9: Bronx Masquerade

Book Summary: This is a book of poems and situations form teens in a urban school in the Bronx.  They are taking an English class where the teacher, Dr. Ward wants them to write poems and express themselves.  Once student suggests that they have a poetry sessions in class to share their poems on Friday's.  Well this takes off into a sessions where everywhere expresses how they feel about their images, parents, living situations, friends, and more.  They begin to learn about each other things that they did not realize.  The most popular jock actually would rather read books and the prettiest girl feels that she is not that pretty.  By the end of the book they have an assembly where they share their poems for the school in a Poetry Slam.

Reference: Grimes, N, (2003). Bronx masquerade. New York, NY: Speak.

Impression: This book was enjoyable and insightful on the thoughts and minds of teens.  Grimes does an excellent job of creating characters from different ethnicity's and economic backgrounds to relate to the teens of today.  Each character portrayed a "problem" that you hear the average high school student going through.  The poems spoke volume in portraying the thoughts of the teens at the moment in the book.  I like how she gave a "background story" before going into the poem.  It was as if you were reading the thoughts and reactions of the teens to each other as they read their poems.  

The poems were in a verse style and rather told stories than just speaking about a thing.  The metaphors and similes used added depth to the poems and made you think about the meaning.  

The nature of content may not be appropriate for middle school aged children and I feel that it would not be suitable for elementary as well.  High school aged (13-18) would be my recommendation as far as who should be reading this book.  The appearance of sex, drugs and violence would not go over well with parents who may not want their children exposed to this content at an early age.  However, if you are in high school these are things that you are coming more encounter with and could relate to.

Professional Reviews:

Amazon.com Review
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 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers WeeklyWhen a high school teacher in the Bronx begins to host open-mike poetry in his classroom on Fridays, his students find a forum to express their identity issues and forge unexpected connections with one another. Grimes's (Jazmin's Notebook) creative, contemporary premise will hook teens, and the poems may even inspire readers to try a few of their own. The poetic forms range from lyrics penned by aspiring rapper Tyrone to the concrete poem of a budding Puerto Rican painter Raul (titled "Zorro" and formed as the letter "Z"). Ultimately, though, there may be too many characters for the audience to penetrate deeply. The students in Mr. Ward's English class experience everything from dyslexia and low self-esteem to teenage motherhood and physical abuse. The narrators trade off quickly, offering only a glimpse into their lives. Not even Tyrone, who breaks in after each student's poem to offer some commentary, comes fully to life. The students' poems, however, provide some lasting images (e.g., overweight Janelle, who is teased for her "thick casing," writes, "I am coconut,/ and the heart of me/ is sweeter/ than you know"). Any one of these students could likely dominate a novel of his or her own, they simply get too little time to hold the floor here. Ages 12-up.

Hubert, J. (n.d.). [Review of the book Bronx masquerade, by N. Grimes]. Amazon.com review. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Bronx-Masquerade-Nikki-Grimes/dp/0142501891/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1439345124&sr=1-1&keywords=bronx+masquerade

Publishers weekly. (n.d.). [Review of the book Bronx masquerade, by N. Grimes]. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8037-2569-0

Library uses: If I were in a high school setting I would use this book in Banned Book week to highlight how poetry can help express thoughts and feelings in a creative way.  I would then have students to create their own poems and have our own Poetry Slam to perform.