Narrative

As a teenager growing up in the suburbs, and a very diverse area in Mount Kisco at that, I know all about the racial barriers and ideas that are a key factor in this book. So, it’s sort of easier for me to understand the things that they talk about, and the things that the characters go through. At the point where Marcus gets arrested by the cops, it made me think of when I saw my friends get in trouble, not necessarily with the police, but seeing them get in trouble is not a site I’d wish to repeat, because it makes you feel like crap. Eddie goes through the same thing, even though he should have been arrested too. I also understand the feeling of loyalty that Eddie and Marcus show for each other, because loyalty is such a key trait to have. Marcus has the guts to not snitch on his best friend, the person he thinks of as more than a brother, and I’ve been in that case too. I know the feeling of having the choice of ratting on your best friend, and being torn apart between your decision and that’s why I’m able to properly feel with Marcus on his decisions. Going back to the above point of the racial barriers, I have friends that are Black, Hispanic, White, all the different nationalities, and even though we have our differences in terms of race, religion, political alignment it doesn’t matter because we’re friends because of it, which is so similar to Marcus’ and Eddie’s friendship in the book, a friendship that is like a chain, no matter how hard it’s tugged at, it never breaks.