Black Brother, Black Brother

Donte and Trey are brothers, but they look very different.  Trey takes after their tall, athletic, European father, and Donte looks like their Black mother.  He's smaller and not really into sports, but it's his darker skin that makes him stand out at their new private school.  

When they lived in the city, Donte never felt like an outsider, but this new school is mostly white, and many of the students and even some of the teachers clearly don't like him.  After being falsely accused of a minor incident in the classroom, Donte gets angry when the principal refuses to listen to his side of this story.  This quickly escalates, and Donte finds himself arrested and booked into the police station.  

As the specter of an upcoming court date looms over him, the bullying at school intensifies.  Trey wants to protect his younger brother, but Donte knows that won't really help.  He knows he has to beat the king of the bullies at his own game.  

When Trey discovers a former champion fencer who happens to be Black living and working nearby, the brothers realize this could be their shot.  Fencing is the top sport in their prep school, and Alan, the worst of the bullies, is the captain of the fencing team.  

Donte's original goal is to defeat Alan and his friends, but in the process, he may just learn more about himself and the feeling of community that comes from working with a team.

Jewell Parker Rhodes's new book is an exploration of racism, colorism, and the school to prison pipeline.  Readers will feel Donte's frustrations at always being the scapegoat and cheer for his victories.  The heart of the book is the relationship between Donte and Trey.  Rhodes never plays them against each other even when the rest of the school tries to.  Highly recommended.