the other son

Grimes, N. (2005). Dark sons. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children, 216 pp.

Poetry, Coretta Scott King Award Honor, 2006

possible classroom uses: individual choice, small group, bridge to stories in The Bible

age range: 7th-8th grade

Synopsis:
Dark Sons tells the story of two boys coping with the loss of their fathers. One boy is Ishmael, Abraham's son from The Bible, who expresses in modern language the pains of growing up knowing that he was only the first born by birth, not according to his father's love or treatment of him. Many stories about Abraham's family are referred to from a new, unusual perspective. Ishmael references the conflict between his mother Hagar and Abraham's first wife Sarah and the birth of Isaac, Abraham's and Sarah's promised son. Sam is the modern day equivalent of Ishmael. He chronicles his parent's divorce, his father's new wife, and his step-brother's birth. Both Ishmael and Sam details his thoughts, emotions and perceptions of his family's struggles from his point of view though poetry.

Evaluation:
I think the characters were a little oversimplified because they were defined by their issues instead of being teenaged boys who were experiencing these situations. The plot was well developed. The theme was how to deal with rejection. The settings were in startk contrast to one another because Ishmael was living in the desert of modern-day Middle East during ancient times while Sam was living in New York City in the present. This contrast provided dynamic and though-provoking reading. The style is narrative poetry, and the story is easily understood. There is definitely a Christian undertone if not overtone throughout the novel, so not all adolescents could relate to or enjoy that. It definitely addresses the feeling of neglect and abandonment that many adolescents struggle with and can relate to. Adolescents from various cultures could appreciate this novel because the two main characters are a black boy and a middle eastern boy, one is rich and one is poor, one is urban and one is rural, and both are Christians.

Reaction:
This book was not what I expected when I sat down to read it. Grimes recorded with surprisingly accurate detail Ishmael's family story. I thoroughly enjoyed the poetic presentation of Bible stories I grew up hearing. Grimes did an excellent job of writing a relatable Ishmael character. His language and emotional expressiveness were so contemporary that the only way I gathered the setting was from specific references to his surroundings. The poems provided enough details that the storyline was fully developed to the point that I almost forgot I was reading only glimpses of Ishmael's life, but they were each individual enough that they could stand alone as a complete work. Sam was just as intriguing as Ishmael. Although he was a little more typical and seemed a bit cheesy at times, he was believable for the most part. In reading about his delimma of supporting his depressed mother and accepting his dad's new wife and baby boy, I really sympathized with him and found him to be a very relatable character. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this novel. My absolute favorite thing about it was the entire story was told through poetry. The ability to write a good novel in poetry blows my mind!