A Tough Story

filled star filled star filled star star unfilled star unfilled
mcbadger Avatar

By

This is a commendable effort by a young writer that is certainly written from the heart. There is an undercurrent of anger throughout the tale of young Gil, a second-generation Caribbean, as he attempts to advance his chances in the white world of a private prep school. From the first he is bullied and attacked by a member of the football team. Yet, what makes this story more telling is the paternalistic and racist attitudes of the adults throughout his trials. The more uplifting feature is how Gil finds allies among the few other students of color in the school. Yet, he is certainly a flawed character, missing commitments to his old friends and pursuing his own cause sometimes at the expense of his new one. The story may be a bit too direct, perhaps a few more nuances would make it better. I feel that young Hooper has great potential as a writer.