~*~How and Why I use this book in my class~*~
First, let me tell you my story. I discovered this book through my daughter who discovered it through her reading teacher. My daughter insisted I read this book. I was in love. I began using this book in my class to motivate my most reluctant readers. (Many of my eighth graders only read on a fourth grade level.) I teach in a very poor, rural, high-minority school where motivation is a high dollar commodity. This book is my number one tool to motivate my students to read, to introduce my students to the wonders and joys of reading.

We read this book out loud the first two days, and I tell them not to read ahead. By the third day they are all "cheating". They can't put it down. Believe it or not they BEG to read in class. We are currently waiting for our copies of the next book in the trilogy, and my students ask me every day if our books have come in yet. I've never read a book that was as compelling as Tears of a Tiger.

Oh, and one more reason I love to use this book...the characters are all black. My students can relate to them since we are in a school where nearly 50% of our students are black.


~*~The Plot and The Perspective~*~
I won't give you all the details on the plot of the book because it would ruin the twists and climactic ending that make this book so compelling and engaging. I will give you a brief introduction to the plot, however.

The novel opens with a fiery car crash that takes the life of the local basketball star, Rob Washington. Those who survive the crash, Rob's closest friends, are left to deal with the guilt and begin to live again. The crux of the novel revolves around Andy, who was driving the car while under the influence of alcohol the night Rob died. As Andy tries to pick up the pieces of his life, the reader gets a realistic glimpse into what it is to be a teenager today. Suffice it to say that the book is about friends, love, life, death, guilt, and the desire to go on.


As for perspective, Tears of a Tiger is unique. It is not a he said/she said book.There is no first person narrator...no omniscient story-teller. Instead, Sharon Draper chose to tell Andy's story through newspaper clippings, diary entries, homework assignments, telephone conversations, and gossip overheard in a lounge or locker room. It is this aspect of the book which my students find so riveting. Rather than having another adult stand in front of them making them listen to some lecture on driving or how things used to be back in the day, Ms. Draper leads them on a journey of discovery. The reader must piece the dynamic characters together from the many clues and insights provided throughout the text. Rather than using an expository approach for revealing the individuality of the characters, Ms. Draper gives the reader the opportunity to participate actively with the text. My students say that they feel like invisible characters in the book...like eavesdroppers overhearing forbidden conversations.


Another reason the kids like the book so much is that Draper writes the way the kids talk (minus any expletives they might use). It is easy to read and easy to understand.
Characters use modern slang and speak in an easily readable dialect that conveys actual speech patterns that the kids recognize. For example, when Andy describes seeing his girlfriend cheering for him in the stands during the ball game he says that she was "jumpin'" and looked good in her "butt-huggin' skirt". (Obviously this is my students' favorite line in the novel!)

~*~The Issues and the COns~*~
Many important issues are addressed in the book, including drunk driving, racism, rebellion, death, suicide, and lying. This book is fertile ground for discussing some of the issues that are important to talk about with today's teens. And yes, the issues are universal. While the characters are black, the sentiments expressed are often the same for any race. ( I say "often" because there are some issues in the book that are pretty unique to the black community.)

The only possible drawback to this book is the intense presence of racial issues; I hesitate to even call it a drawback because for me it is a plus, but I realize that some people may be uncomfortable with Ms. Draper's introduction of reverse-racism to the plot. As I explained to my white students, who are usually taken aback by some of the prejudiced attitudes of the characters, the book is not promoting racism or reverse-racism, but instead enlightens the readers as to why some black people feel may differently. The book shows that often black teens have different perspectives and different attitudes because they have a different experience from white children. This book provides an excellent opportunity to broach such delicates subjects.
~*~The Conclusion and Recommendation~*~

This is an awesome book. I recommend it to teens and adults alike. If you aren't moved by this book, you are probably in need of mortician because you are one of the walking dead.

Some of the issues are sensitive and some of the subject matter is intense; that's what makes this book a must read. The growth of the dynamic characters is intriguing and the casual, common prose is simply captivating.


If you like this one, you might also check out Forged by Fire and The Darkness Before the Dawn, which are sort of sequels.
~*~Post review note~*~

Let me explain that this is a rewrite of one of my earliest reviews at Epinions. I didn't quite understand how Epinions worked or what people were looking for in a review when I first reviewed Tears of a Tiger. I am rewriting this one because I feel I did not do the book justice. While I simply deleted other reviews that were not up to par, I feel that this one should not be deleted because it is the only review on the book, and I would really like the opportunity to introduce this book to everyone.~*~


Recommended: Yes