The Battle Of Jericho [Turtleback]

Sharon M. Draper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2004

"Are you willing to do anything to help your slimy pledge brothers become Distinguished Gentlemen?" Sharp demanded.

"Anything, sir," Jericho said. He just wanted it to be over.

"Then suck my big toe."

"Sir?" Jericho wasn't sure if he had heard correctly....

When Jericho is invited to pledge for the Warriors of Distinction, he thinks his life can't get any better. As the most exclusive club in school, the Warriors give the best parties, go out with the hottest girls, and sail through their classes. And when Arielle, one of the finest girls in his class, starts coming on to him once the pledge announcements are made, Jericho is determined to do anything to become a member....

But as the initiation week becomes progressively harrowing, Jericho is forced to make choices he's not entirely comfortable with. And one member seems to have it in for the sole female pledge in the group...a pledge who will stop at nothing to show she can handle the pressure. But when is she being pushed too far, and when should Jericho and his friends step in and risk losing their places in the pledging process? As Jericho becomes increasingly uneasy, his cousin Joshua breezes through the initiation, never thinking of the consequences, even when the fine line between fun and games, and life and death is crossed.

Sharon M. Draper proves once again that she knows just how real kids think, act, and feel in this haunting story of peer pressure, popularity, and hazing.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10-When an elite club, The Warriors of Distinction, invites Jericho and his cousin Josh to pledge, the teens look forward to wearing the black silk jacket, going to great parties, and receiving the admiring glances of the other students at their Ohio high school. Even the girl Jericho has a crush on begins to show an interest in him. The initiation process begins rather tamely with the new pledges helping with the Christmas toy drive, but as it progresses, Jericho becomes increasingly uncomfortable with what they are asked to do and the way they treat Dana, the first-ever female pledge. Adopting the group's "All of us or none of us" creed, the 15 inductees decide to continue. In an intense climax, pledging goes tragically wrong and the repercussions are felt throughout the community. Draper has captured the essence of teens caught up in peer pressure who must ultimately live with the results of their actions. Her characters are deeply human and the strong plot mirrors the difficult choices that young people must make as they try to reconcile their need for acceptance with their inner values. Mostly, though, this title is a compelling read that drives home important lessons about making choices.
Janet Hilbun, formerly at Sam Houston Middle School, Garland, TX
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. The Warriors of Distinction has been the school's most exclusive club for 50 years, so when 16-year-old Jericho is asked to pledge, he's excited--and intimidated. He is also disappointed after he realizes that he'll have to give up a music competition because he can't miss a night of the initiation week. When the ceremony turns cruel--with the one girl pledge being singled out for abuse--Jericho begins to have second thoughts. Then the affair turns deadly. There are several problems here. To her credit, Draper offers a story that is profanity free, but this makes the dialogue less credible. It's difficult to imagine teens not using swear words in some of these situations, and the slang used instead often makes conversations sound stilted. The plot is also chock-full, making it hard to focus on everything that's going on, even though Jericho helps center the story. Draper does portray a timely scenario, however, with middle-class African American kids (and others) put into a situation that many young people face: the wish for inclusion butting up against the knowledge of right and wrong. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Turtleback: 337 pages
• Publisher: Demco Media (November 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0606327002
• ISBN-13: 978-0606327008
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Sharon Draper is a two-time Coretta Scott King Award-winning author, most recently for Copper Sun, and previously for Forged by Fire. She's also the recipient of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Author Award for New Talent for Tears of a Tiger and the Coretta Scott King Author Honor for The Battle of Jericho and November Blues. Her other books include Romiette and Julio, Darkness Before Dawn, and Double Dutch. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she taught high school English for twenty-five years. She's a popular conference speaker, addressing educational and literary groups both nationally and internationally.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars How far would you go to join a group?, April 28, 2004

By 

Ruhama Kordatzky "librariane" (Burlington, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Battle of Jericho (Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books) (Hardcover)

Winner of a Coretta Scott King Honor Award

Jericho's school has a great club that all boys long to be a part of: The Warriors of Distinction. It's been around for years (Jericho's uncle was even a part of it), and it's known for it's good deeds and the closeness of the members. Every year new members are inducted into the group, and this year Jericho has been invited to join. Before they can be called Warriors, though, they must go through an initiation process, which lasts a week. At first the tasks seem harmless and only a little demeaning, but as the week progresses, the things the initiates (called Pledge Slime) are asked to do border on hazing. Jericho struggles with staying in the group--if he drops out, then all the initiates suffer. He also would lose the girl he loves, and any confidence the group would provide for him. But he does wonder about lowering himself for this, and he also has a conflict with a musical contest--should he continue with the initiation or go to the contest, where he could win a full scholarship to Julliard?

This book is gripping, and the reader finds himself/herself caught up in all the action, wondering where the plot will go. Draper skillfully takes twists and turns, carefully developing the tension to keep interest high. Her characters are likeable, and readers will sympathize with Jericho. I also liked that though the main characters in the story are African American, you weren't blinded by their race--it could have been anyone wanting to join the Warriors. And the topic of school clubs and hazing is a good angle for a novel--pair this with The Chocolate War.

Where this book fell flat for me was in dialogue and underdeveloped plot threads. Draper wasn't consistent with her dialects and slang, and much of the language felt forced out of the characters. A major plot line that I felt got shoved under the carpet was Jericho's trumpet playing--it was a very big deal at the beginning of the book, but I didn't feel the tension by the end, when he needed to make the decision about continuing with the Warriors or going to the contest. Another plot line that felt stunted and stereotypical was Kofi's (another Pledge Slime) home life. Here is the typical teen character who's parents don't care, but Kofi felt a little forced on the issue, and that whole situation worked out a little too neatly in the end.

Overall it's a fast read (because you really want to know what happens), and a good topic, but it's not the best written book I've encountered.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Kept feeling something was missing., August 15, 2004

By 

Retired MST - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Battle of Jericho (Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books) (Hardcover)

Even though the book started out fresh and interesting it soon developed into too much and not enough. Too much going on and not enough resolution.

A group of 15 high schoolers are asked to pledge the Warriors of Distinction. The club has been thought of as a do good character building club for 50 years but something has gone terribly wrong. Bad choices are made and the initiation activities turn quickly into cruel hazing without any supervision.

Some of the characters are poorly developed, left you feeling like something was missing. Author just happens to throw in a boy in a wheelchair and a girl who tricks her way into the pledging. Very little emphasis on the consequences of Jericho choosing the Warriors of Distinction over the chances of a scholarship to Juliard.

I wasn't impressed that high schoolers would think the characters or the plot were authentic.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars True, June 1, 2006

By 

Atticus "Reading is power" (U.S. California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Battle of Jericho (Mass Market Paperback)

This story will grab you at the beginning. You learn about the teenage mind and how it is to be pressured into being "cool". Josh, the main character, is sucked into a world of wanting. Wanting to be with the so called Warriors. The truth is they aren't the easiest group to get into. Everyone thinks they are so great, all the boys want to be like them, the girls love them, and they are like the kings of the high school. But to get in to the group you must attempt unbelieveable stunts.

Dana, female character who wants to be in the group even though it is a boys one, secretly joins. They make her get the worst oo it and her life is put in danger. Over all it is suspenseful, keeps you guessing on the next task they might have to go through. All through the book you think about what a teen has to go through because "cool" is in.

Nice book, should be read.