Bronx Masquerade
A CORETTA SCOTT KING AWARD WINNER • A heartfelt exploration of adolescence, this novel celebrates the essence of poetry and the unifying strength of sharing one's voice.
“Rich and complex.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Readers will enjoy the lively, smart voices that talk bravely, about real issues and secret fears. A fantastic choice.”—Booklist
Behind every voice is a story waiting to be told.
When Wesley Boone writes a poem for his high school English class, some of his classmates clamor to read their poems aloud too. Soon they’re having weekly poetry sessions and, one by one, the eighteen students are opening up and taking on the risky challenge of self-revelation.
There’s Lupe, desperate to have a baby so she will feel loved.
Raynard, hiding a secret behind his silence.
Porscha, needing an outlet for her anger after her mother OD’s.
Janelle, struggling to come to terms with her body image.
Through the poetry they share and narratives in which they reveal their most intimate thoughts, eighteen teenagers show what lies beneath the skin, behind the eyes, beyond the masquerade.
“Rich and complex.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Readers will enjoy the lively, smart voices that talk bravely, about real issues and secret fears. A fantastic choice.”—Booklist
Behind every voice is a story waiting to be told.
When Wesley Boone writes a poem for his high school English class, some of his classmates clamor to read their poems aloud too. Soon they’re having weekly poetry sessions and, one by one, the eighteen students are opening up and taking on the risky challenge of self-revelation.
There’s Lupe, desperate to have a baby so she will feel loved.
Raynard, hiding a secret behind his silence.
Porscha, needing an outlet for her anger after her mother OD’s.
Janelle, struggling to come to terms with her body image.
Through the poetry they share and narratives in which they reveal their most intimate thoughts, eighteen teenagers show what lies beneath the skin, behind the eyes, beyond the masquerade.
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
4.5 Stars
I loved this book so much! The mix of prose and poetry was fantastic! Grimes does such a great job getting you to care about all the characters.
The only problem I had with the book was the fact that there were so many characters, that I had a hard time keeping track of all of them. This was more than likely due to the fact that we only heard from them once, then they would be mentioned by another character later on.
Other than that I thought this book was a great way to show that we all appear one way on the outside, but there is a lot more to us than that. This is an important book that every young person (and adult) should read.
I loved this book so much! The mix of prose and poetry was fantastic! Grimes does such a great job getting you to care about all the characters.
The only problem I had with the book was the fact that there were so many characters, that I had a hard time keeping track of all of them. This was more than likely due to the fact that we only heard from them once, then they would be mentioned by another character later on.
Other than that I thought this book was a great way to show that we all appear one way on the outside, but there is a lot more to us than that. This is an important book that every young person (and adult) should read.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.