It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

This last week I read the book “The Battle of Jericho” by Sharon M. Draper. This is definitely one of my favorite books I have read so far this semester! This book is set in the 1990’s in Cincinnati Ohio. This book is written in third person omniscient which means that the author does get into a lot of the different characters heads and lets the reader join him on this journey. It is mainly a story about a teenager named Jericho who wants to join the “Warriors of Distinction” which are royally known for being the coolest kids in school, getting all the ladies and excelling in their studies. Getting into this group is hard, they require the new members to be initiated and go through trivial experiences just to join the group. Dana is the female pledge who won’t stop at anything to join the group, even if members of the group do crazy things make sure she isn’t able to join. The perspective of Dana is very honest and lets the readers take a look inside of how a woman is treated in a strictly male-centered environment and gives harsh realizations of what they can be exposed to when trying to assimilate or be themselves in a more masculine atmosphere.

The themes of this book revolve around social acceptance and peer pressure. These are very relevant themes in young adults lives and translating them into such a real, outspoken story was very entertaining to read. This book is different from the other books I have read this semester as it uses language you would hear in a high school cafeteria like cussing, gossip, humor, and sarcasm. This book does give us real-life scenarios that have real-life consequences and I think that is something very beneficial to put in a young adult novel. The question of how far these pledges will go before they have conscious realizations of what the repercussions will be for their actions is really what is at stake in this story. Humanity is at stake in this book as well as we go along different characters and see their personal truths and what choices they pick for the better well being of themselves and who they are around. We see acts of greed and self-affliction and that causes different conflicts in the book. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read!

Source:

Simon & Schuster. (n.d.). The Battle of Jericho. Retrieved from http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Battle-of-Jericho/Sharon-M-Draper/The-Jericho-Trilogy/9780689842337

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