Forged by Fire by Sharon Draper is an outstanding book, both for classroom applications and for casual readers. Gerald, the protagonist, is thrust into the home of his abusive stepfather, Jordan Sparks, after his Aunt Queen, who has provided him for a loving household the past several years, dies of a heart attack. Jordan verbally and physically abuses Gerald and his mother Monique, while he also sexually molests Gerald's half-sister Angel. Throughout the novel, Gerald is very protective of Angel against Jordan and from his drug and alcohol addicted mother. The term "Forged by Fire" is very appropriate to this book, as readers will come to find out.
In regards to classroom applications, I have seen several aspects that can be used. There is a strong male protagonist, as well as a strong male role model. There are children growing up in a lower income household, in non-traditional family settings. There are parents/step-parents in jail. There is an abusive character, a neglectful character who also suffers from drug and alcohol abuse, and two women who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Battered Woman's syndrome from the abuse they have taken. There is also a theme of literacy; how influenced a male can be when reading is reinforced and when reading is neglected. Based on the abuse material, a lot can be drawn into a classroom setting to explore themes that may be prevalent in many students' lives; characters they can relate to either directly or indirectly.It is for these reasons, and of course, for the pleasure of reading, that I wholeheartedly recommend this book both for the casual reader and for the teacher looking for new material in his or her classroom.
- ~Jason Wright~
