"New Boy" by Tracy Chevalier

New Boy by Tracy Chevalier
Call Number: FICTION Chevalier
Tracy Chevalier brings Shakespeare's Othello --a harrowing drama of jealousy and revenge--to a 1970s era elementary school playground. Arriving at his fifth school in as many years, diplomat's son Osei Kokote knows he needs an ally if he is to survive his first day--so he's lucky to hit it off with Dee, the most popular girl in school. But one student can't stand to witness this budding relationship: Ian decides to destroy the friendship between the black boy and the golden girl. By the end of the day, the school and its key players--teachers and pupils alike--will never be the same again. The tragedy of Othello is transposed to a 1970s suburban Washington schoolyard, where kids fall in and out of love with each other before lunchtime, and practice a casual racism picked up from their parents and teachers. Peeking over the shoulders of four 11 year olds--Osei, Dee, Ian, and his reluctant "girlfriend" Mimi--Tracy Chevalier's powerful drama of friends torn apart by jealousy, bullying, and betrayal will leave you reeling.

Adaptation of "Othello":
- Discuss the ways in which Chevalier adapts and modernizes Shakespeare's "Othello" in "New Boy." How does the setting of a 1970s schoolyard in Washington, D.C. influence the themes and characters of the story?
Race and Prejudice:
- Race plays a central role in both "Othello" and "New Boy." Analyze how race and racial prejudice are depicted in Chevalier's novel. How do the characters' racial identities impact their relationships and interactions?
Character Analysis:
- Explore the characters of Osei (Othello), Dee (Desdemona), Ian (Iago), and others. How do their personalities, backgrounds, and motivations compare to their counterparts in Shakespeare's play?
Bullying and Power Dynamics:
- Bullying and power dynamics are prominent themes in "New Boy." Discuss instances of bullying in the novel and how they relate to broader themes of jealousy, manipulation, and betrayal.
Friendship and Betrayal:
- The friendship between Osei and Dee forms a central part of the story. How does their friendship develop, and how is it affected by the actions of other characters, particularly Ian?
Narrative Structure and Point of View:
- "New Boy" alternates between different characters' perspectives. How does Chevalier use this narrative structure to provide insights into the characters' motivations and emotions?
Setting and Atmosphere:
- How does the 1970s schoolyard setting contribute to the atmosphere of the novel? Discuss the cultural and historical context of the time period and its impact on the characters' experiences.
Symbolism and Imagery:
- Analyze the symbolism and imagery used throughout the novel. For example, consider the significance of the schoolyard as a microcosm of society and the playground equipment as symbols of power and hierarchy.
Conflict Resolution:
- Reflect on the resolution of conflicts in "New Boy." How does Chevalier conclude the story, and what does the resolution suggest about the characters' growth and the consequences of their actions?
Themes of Innocence and Corruption:
- Discuss the themes of innocence and corruption in the novel. How do the characters' experiences in the schoolyard shape their perceptions of the world and their own moral compasses?
Emotional Impact:
- Reflect on the emotional impact of the story. How did you feel while reading "New Boy," and how did the novel's themes and characters resonate with you?
Relevance to Contemporary Issues:
- Consider the relevance of the themes explored in "New Boy" to contemporary society. How do issues of race, prejudice, bullying, and power dynamics depicted in the novel relate to current events and societal debates?

Tracy Chevalier is an American-British historical novelist born on October 19, 1962, in Washington, D.C., United States. She was raised in Washington, D.C., and later moved to England, where she has spent most of her adult life.

Chevalier attended Oberlin College in Ohio, where she studied English literature and minored in French. After graduating, she moved to England to pursue a Master's degree in creative writing at the University of East Anglia.

Chevalier's literary career took off with the publication of her second novel, "Girl with a Pearl Earring," in 1999. The novel, set in 17th-century Delft, Netherlands, imagines the story behind Johannes Vermeer's famous painting of the same name. "Girl with a Pearl Earring" was a critical and commercial success, receiving numerous awards and nominations, including the Barnes & Noble Discover Award and the British Book Awards Book of the Year.

Following the success of "Girl with a Pearl Earring," Chevalier continued to write historical novels that explore the lives of women and marginalized individuals in different historical periods. Some of her notable works include:

"The Lady and the Unicorn" (2003), which explores the creation of the famous medieval tapestry cycle of the same name.
"Burning Bright" (2007), set in 18th-century London and inspired by the works of William Blake.
"Remarkable Creatures" (2009), which tells the story of Mary Anning, a pioneering fossil hunter in early 19th-century England.
"The Last Runaway" (2013), set in 19th-century Ohio and following the journey of a young Quaker woman involved in the Underground Railroad.

Chevalier's novels are known for their meticulous research, vivid historical settings, and engaging narratives that bring to life the stories of ordinary people living in extraordinary times. Her writing often focuses on themes of art, gender, class, and the human experience.

In addition to her novels, Chevalier has written essays, short stories, and edited anthologies. She is also involved in various literary initiatives and has served as a judge for literary prizes such as the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize.

Tracy Chevalier continues to write and is regarded as one of the leading historical novelists of her generation, with her works translated into numerous languages and adapted for film and television. She currently lives in London with her husband and son.

Daughters of the Revolution by Carolyn Cooke
Call Number: FICTION Cooke
The prestigious but cash-strapped Goode School in the town of Cape Wilde is run by its aging, philandering headmaster, Goddard Byrd, known to both his friends and his enemies as God. With Cape Wilde engulfed by the social and political storms of integration, coeducation and the sexual revolution, God has confidently promised coeducation "over my dead body." And then, through a clerical error, the Goode School admits its first female student- Carole Faust, a brilliant, intractable fifteen-year-old black girl.What does it mean to be the First Girl?Carolyn Cooke has written a ferociously intelligent, richly sensual novel about the lives of girls and women, the complicated desperation of daughters without fathers and the erosion of paternalistic power in an elite New England town on the cusp of radical social change.
They Come in All Colors by Malcolm Hansen
Call Number: FICTION Hansen
Alternating between the Deep South and New York City during the 1960s and early '70s, They Come in All Colors follows a biracial teenage boy who finds his new life in the big city disrupted by childhood memories of the summer when racial tensions in his hometown reached a tipping point. It's 1968 when fourteen-year-old Huey Fairchild begins high school at Claremont Prep, one of New York City's most prestigious boys' schools. His mother had uprooted her family from their small hometown of Akersburg, Georgia, a few years earlier, leaving behind Huey's white father and the racial unrest that ran deeper than the Chattahoochee River. But for our sharp-tongued protagonist, forgetting the past is easier said than done. At Claremont, where the only other nonwhite person is the janitor, Huey quickly realizes that racism can lurk beneath even the nicest school uniform. After a momentary slip of his temper, Huey finds himself on academic probation and facing legal charges. With his promising school career in limbo, he begins examining his current predicament at Claremont through the lens of his childhood memories of growing up in Akersburg during the Civil Rights Movement--and the chilling moments leading up to his and his mother's flight north. With Huey's head-shaking antics fueling this coming-of-age narrative, the story triumphs as a tender and honest exploration of race, identity, family, and homeland.
The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson
Call Number: FICTION Johnson
Fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college, in spite of having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising a daughter. But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed on to her like a birthright...Eleanor Quarles arrives in Washington, DC, with ambition and secrets. When she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University, they fall madly in love. But William hails from one of DC's elite wealthy Black families, and his parents don't let just anyone into their fold. Eleanor hopes that a baby will make her finally feel at home in William's family and grant her the life she's been searching for.
Cyclorama by Adam Langer
Call Number: FICTION Langer
The deeply moving, propulsive story of ten teenagers brought together by a high school production of The Diary of Anne Frank that will shape and influence the rest of their lives. Evanston, Illinois, 1982. A group of students at a magnet high school meet to audition for the spring play. They are eager for the chance to escape their difficult everyday lives. Declan, an experienced senior, is confident he'll get his first-choice role, but when the capricious, charismatic drama director casts Franklin, an unknown underclassman-and the two are seen alone at the director's house-a series of events that will haunt the cast for years begins to unfold.2016. The actors have moved on with their lives. Some are wildly successful, some never left their hometown, and some just want to be left alone. Everything changes, however, when one former cast member comes forward with an allegation dating back to the time of the play. The consequences of this public revelation will be far-reaching and complex, reverberating through all of their lives in unexpected ways. Cyclorama is a deeply compelling story of ordinary people that brilliantly cuts to the core of what makes us who we are and how our pasts reverberate into our present and future. With remarkable tenderness and humanity, Langer reveals how the traumas of our youth continue to echo throughout our lives, in our politics, in our careers, and in ourselves.
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
Call Number: FICTION Woodson
Running into a long-ago friend sets memory from the 1970s in motion for August, transporting her to a time and a place where friendship was everything--until it wasn't. For August and her girls, sharing confidences as they ambled through neighborhood streets, Brooklyn was a place where they believed that they were beautiful, talented, brilliant--a part of a future that belonged to them. But beneath the hopeful veneer, there was another Brooklyn, a dangerous place where grown men reached for innocent girls in dark hallways, where ghosts haunted the night, where mothers disappeared. A world where madness was just a sunset away and fathers found hope in religion.

Islington Branch Book Club - Past Titles: "New Boy" by Tracy Chevalier

"New Boy" by Tracy Chevalier

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