Black and White

Publishers Weekly

"This excellent novel has it all: authentic characters, a thought-provoking plot and heartbreaking drama," PW said in a starred review of this tale about an interracial friendship between two basketball stars. Ages 10-up. (Dec.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

When two high school basketball stars, one black, one white, decide to rob people for a few bucks, someone is shot but only one of the boys gets caught. Marcus, an African-American boy nicknamed "Black," refuses to tell anyone, even his family, who the other boy was, although those who know him can easily guess that it had to have been his friend, Eddie, known as "White." It is hard to fathom why Marcus would be willing to be the fall guy for Eddie, especially when Marcus neither provided the gun nor pulled the trigger. And it is hard not to be irritated with Eddie for not only abandoning his friend but also feeling happy about his basketball scholarship—which, clearly, he will not receive if he is arrested. The only saving grace is that Eddie must live in fear of the police and their finding enough evidence against him, his own moral disgrace, and his inability to face his crime and move on. Marcus and the people around him have already faced and come to terms with his role in the crime. The book does raise the issue of why a minority youth would have the defeatist feeling that the system is so stacked against him that fingering his white buddy would not make any difference. It is a sad commentary on the state of U.S. democracy in general and race relations in particular. This book could well be used to trigger enlightening discussions in high school literature and government classes. 2005, Viking, Ages 12 up.
—Kathryn Erskine

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-A taut tale of friendship, racial tension, and sacrifice. Long Island City High School basketball stars Marcus Brown and Eddie Russo, aka "Black and White," turn to robbery to get easy money for shoes and senior fees. When Eddie produces his dead grandfather's gun, the teens feel powerful and fearless until just another stickup goes wrong, and Eddie fires the weapon. The wounded victim identifies Marcus, who is arrested and who resolutely refuses to identify his gun-wielding accomplice. He is sentenced to 19 months in prison while Eddie denies his criminal involvement and claims a college basketball scholarship at St. John's. In alternating chapters, the young men reveal their shame and guilt as they slip into the archetypal pattern of the black man bearing the white man's burden. Marcus becomes the tragic, forgiving, but inspiring hero while Eddie opts for deceit and a tainted future. Confronted by his father's anger, his mother's hysteria, and the possible loss of his college prospects, Eddie is willing to abandon his African-American friend. Resigned but spiritually strong, Marcus accepts his fate while his mother deplores Eddie's cowardice. These complex characters share a mutual respect and struggle with issues of loyalty, honesty, and courage. Social conflicts, basketball fervor, and tough personal choices make this title a gripping story. Teens will anxiously follow Marcus and Eddie to the last page and then ponder the choices they made and the pervasive significance of race in American society.-Gerry Larson, Durham School of the Arts, NC Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Marcus is black and Eddie white in a multicultural Long Island neighborhood. Known to all as "Black and White," they have honed their athletic skills together and are in the midst of a basketball season headed to the playoffs and scholarships to good colleges. They know each other's timing and rhythm and feel complete trust in each other. However, off the court they have decided to supplement their income by holding up strangers for money for senior activities and the latest athletic shoes. Using Grandpa's gun from Eddie's attic, both think their initial success means invincibility. The nightmare that ensues when Eddie inadvertently hits the trigger-and their victim-becomes the playing field for the author's exploration of how much difference race can make in the fate of each boy and their friendship. Rather than exploring the issue of race by pretending it doesn't exist, Volponi points directly at it, illustrating at every turn that the race of the various characters influences events as well as whether Marcus will end up in prison alone. Consequences for everyone unfold and escalate in rapid-fire fashion. Hugely discussable. (Fiction. YA)