Denny's Tapes [Hardcover]

Carolyn Meyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 1987

When seventeen-year-old Denny, who is black, falls in love with his white stepsister and her father throws him out, he drives cross-country to find his own father, whom he barely knows.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The product of a failed interracial marriage, Denny has been brought up by his white mother. But he ruefully notes that no one is "only" half-black. When his stepfather hurls a racial epithet at him, Denny takes off on a cross-country search for his roots, both black and white, with his portable tape recorder for a companion and diary. His stops include Chicago, for a visit with his jazz-musician father's relatives; he is shocked when he meets his mother's redneck family. After encountering a genuine cowgirl in Colorado who saves him from belligerent Okies (the only characters and situation that don't ring true), Denny finally reaches San Francisco, where he hopes at long last to meet his father. It's a sign of Denny's growing maturity that he still considers his journey a success even though his father is in Europe on tour. This is a sensitive, probing book that takes a hard look at racism, people's foibles and the pain of coming to terms with oneself and family. Ages 14-up.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-12 Denny is the teenaged son of a mixed marriagehis black father and white mother are divorced, and his mother is now remarried to a conservative white doctor with a teenaged daughter of his own. It hasn't been easy for Denny, who has weathered his share of slurs by schoolmates and subtle bigotry. Falling in love with his stepsister complicates his worlda world which smashes when his stepfather, finding them in a compromising situation, furiously calls him a ``black bastard.'' Taking his small savings, his dilapidated old car, and a tape recorder, Denny leaves home and begins his odysseyto cross the country, meet both his maternal and paternal grandparents, explore his ``roots,'' and end up with his father in San Francisco, meanwhile recording his thoughts (this book). Each visit on the journey west is a revelation: his black grandmother is elegant, upper middle-class, and educated. She introduces him to a world of black culture. His white grandmother lives with her white-trash son and daughter-in-law, virtually a prisoner in a tawdry, bigotted world. Meeting his grandparents gives Denny insight into both himself and his parents. He, in turn, brings to them a grandson in which each in her own way delights. The end of the journey is fittingly open-ended. Denny never once feels sorry for himself, and his ``tapes'' make a thoughtful novel told with a light touch. Although it's puzzling that Denny's mother is not more upset by her husband's outburst, and in spite of the lack of action, readers will enjoy Denny and mine the book for its thoughtful riches. Marjorie Lewis, Scarsdale Junior High School, N.Y.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 209 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (October 31, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689504136
• ISBN-13: 978-0689504136
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,166,481 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My first book, MISS PATCH'S LEARN-TO-SEW BOOK, published more than forty years ago, was intended to teach young girls how to knot thread, make a neat stitch, and sew simple items. The main character of my next book, CLEOPATRA CONFESSES, coming in June 2011, is a far cry from the roundish, gray-haired lady with a needle in her hand and spectacles on her nose. Since the thrill of seeing that first book in print, I've written over fifty more books, non-fiction and novels (most recently, historical fiction). In the process I've learned more about writing and a lot about history, a subject that was not my favorite when I was a young student but has become my passion--a passion I love to share with readers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars The Denny's Tapes review., February 24, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Denny's Tapes (Hardcover)

I think that Denny's Tapes was a very good book. The main character in the book was Denny. The book was about how Denny traveled all over to try to find his father. He made a few stops on the way. Those stops were to meet his grandparents. He was happy to find out alot about his heritage. When he finally got to his dads partment he wasn't home. So he decided to stay and get a job so that he would be able to meet his dad and have enought money to get back home. I defenitely think that the book deserved the 3 star rate that i gave it.
L.J

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Crazy Kid FromIowa, October 16, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Denny's Tapes (Hardcover)

"Denny's Tapes" is a very good book if you like a book that moves along so slowly and almost has no point to the story. The contexts of the story include not chapters like most books, but tapes like in a tape recorder. Denny the main character is traveling in a truck (named Mary) across the United States from Philadelphia to California. On his way Denny records all of his travels, the people he meets, and the things he does. He is traveling to California because he wants to meet his long lost "other family" including his father who believes he lives in California. I disliked the book because it moved to slow and the books I normally like to read are faster paced and adventurous.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Crazy Kid FromIowa, October 16, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Denny's Tapes (Hardcover)

"Denny's Tapes" is a very good book if you like a book that moves along so slowly and almost has no point to the story. The contexts of the story include not chapters like most books, but tapes like in a tape recorder. Denny the main character is traveling in a truck (named Mary) across the United States from Philadelphia to California. On his way Denny records all of his travels, the people he meets, and the things he does. He is traveling to California because he wants to meet his long lost "other family" including his father who believes he lives in California. I disliked the book because it moved to slow and the books I normally like to read are faster paced and adventurous.