85 pages • 2 hours read
Jewell Parker RhodesBlack Brother, Black Brother
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
What does it mean to “see” in this novel? How does the motif of seeing help us to understand at least one of the novel’s major themes?
What role does fencing play in Black Brother, Black Brother? How do the explanatory chapters about the sport connect to the main plot?
Choose a character other than Donte. How does this character grow and change throughout the novel?
Compare and contrast Donte and Trey. How might this novel be different if it were told from Trey’s perspective?
Coach asks Donte: “If justice prevails, would experiencing Alan’s prejudice have been worth it?” (133). Choose a side (yes, it was worth it/no, it was not) and make an argument based on how the novel ends.
Zarra and Denise have different experiences because they are Black women. Discuss three examples from the novel where their intersectional identities come into play.
There are numerous mentions of real-life figures throughout the novel. How do they help us to understand the novel’s characters and conflicts?
How do Donte and Trey’s classmates’ behavior change? What does this suggest about how they are affected by Donte’s experiences?
Would Donte have had a different journey if he had taken up a different sport? Why or why not?
How do the novel’s events prepare Donte to be the lead plaintiff on his mother’s class action suit?
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By Jewell Parker Rhodes
