Customer Reviews

Response

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Noah has grown up in East Franklin, a predominately black area. One night when he and two friends decide to head on over to nearby Hillsboro (about 95% white) to boost a car, life changes dramatically.

The three friends never get to commit their intended crime because they run into three white teens bent on keeping their neighborhood free of blacks. The white boys verbally abuse and threaten Noah and his friends, and it's when they begin to chase them that things take a turn. Noah trips and falls. An angry youth nicknamed Scat swings a baseball bat and fractures Noah's skull.

The quick response of paramedics and the quality treatment at the Hillsboro hospital work together to save young Noah. He's plagued with headaches and will live with a metal plate stitched into his head, but he will live to finish high school and be around to be a father for his baby daughter.

When it was determined that the three Hillsboro teens had no way of knowing Noah and his friends were there to steal a car, arrests were made and the three were charged with a hate crime. The actual attack was horrific, but now Noah and his family must live through the stressful experience of a trial. They learn the hard way about harassment and plea bargains as they attend countless meetings with county provided attorneys.

Paul Volponi brings headline material to life in RESPONSE. He portrays a black family working together to educate their son and help him and his teenage girlfriend raise their own child. In Noah, readers will meet a frightened yet determined young man learning how to make his way in a not-so-friendly world.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

At 145 pp. with large font, RESPONSE can be consumed in one sitting, if you have an afternoon handy. Given its short span, Paul Volponi's book manages to flesh out a few characters into gray areas where black vs. white becomes realistic. He succeeds not only with a few of the major characters, like Noah Jackson, a teen dad, but with a few minor ones, like his gym teacher, Mr. Hendricks.

The tale centers on a hate crime that occurs when Noah and two friends go into a white neighborhood with a Lexus in mind and instead get attacked by three white kids. Only Noah is harmed in the attack, however, being pounded by a swearing hate machine with an aluminum baseball bat. All of this goes down in the first few pages. From there, the book explores reactions in both the white and black neighborhoods, all the way up to the trial of the white guy who attacked Noah.

There's no doubt that the book will engage young readers, but prospective buyers -- especially for classroom libraries or school libraries -- should know that the School Library Journal's label of "Grade 6 to 10" is questionable. Parts of the book contain heavy profanity and, in the prison scenes specifically, graphic allusions to life behind bars. I would say Grade 9 is about as early as you'd want to go for a mass audience, but this is only if buying for a group. Individually, mature younger readers may be fine in handling such difficult fare. In those cases, you should know that the harsh realities presented in this book at least come with a moral foundation that is meaningful and, in the end, instructive in a positive way.

Paul Volponi's book RESPONSE was a 2010 Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Honor book so I was immediately intrigued. What was so powerful about this novel was the honest portrayal of racial relations, especially among teens in this nation. It's a tremendous eye-opener and an important read. As a teacher I know our high schools introduce teens to fantastic American Lit, but I would love to see an elective course in high schools on MODERN American Lit - works that have come out in the last ten years. This would be one to have on the reading list!

I'm not sure why more people do not know about Mr. Volponi. In my opinion he is one of the best young adult authors out there. Plus his books deal with male issues, which are so hard to find. All of his characters are strong, yet flawed and are very interesting. My male students love his books and even the reluctant readers are drawn into his fast paced stories. Response is Mr. Volponi's latest book and it is great.

Noah is a young black man with some issues. He got his girlfriend pregnant and isn't sure if he loves her. He is a super senior and is in his 5th year of high school. Noah hates working at the local burger joint because it doesn't make him enough money but he needs the job. Noah needs the cash for his baby daughter. He also needs the cash so his nagging girlfriend..or whatever she is..will get off his back.

Deciding he needs to make some quick cash, Noah and his friends decide to jack a car. The problem is things do not go as planned and he runs into three Italian boys. One bashes his head in with a baseball bat.

The community where Noah lives is divided. There are the blacks and the Italians and neither get along very well. The town is divide by this incident. Was it racially motivated? Or were the Italian boys protecting their neighborhood from thugs?

The reader watches as Noah struggles with the issues of race relations, prejudice, hatred, and his own desire to do something better with his life.

As with all Volponi novels this is a quick read. There is some language issues, but to be fair this has to be one of the tamer books by him. I believe the f bomb is only dropped a few times.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait for the next one.

Paul Volponi's latest novel, Response, takes on the dilemma of a hate crime in a racially divided community. Three African American teens go into Hillsboro, mostly white and Italian, to steal a car and make quick money. The car theft never happens, but as the boys walk home, they are chased by three white teens in a black Land Rover. Asa and Bonds, run for their lives, never looking back. If they did, they would have seen that their friend, Noah, tripped, and fell flat on the sidewalk. With a metal bat, Nick Scat, one of the teens, beats Noah about the head while his friends, Tommy and Joey, steal his sneakers and rip his diamond stud from his ear. Laughing, they get into their Land Rover and race away. Noah calls his friends about the beating and they summon 911. In the hospital, surrounded by his family, Noah is questioned by the police, while his friends in a police car, finger the perpetrators, who claim they were protecting themselves from a robbery. The police investigate the crime to Noah as a hate crime. Volponi uses many different characters' voices to give their own viewpoint and the result is chilling as racial prejudice, stereotyping and bias abound. Noah is a young father and his love for his daughter, Destiny Love, is unquestioned. But Noah is not perfect; he has been arrested before, he is in his fifth year of high school, and is not sure how much he loves DeShawna, Destiny Loves' mother. The reader struggles along with Noah as the court's justice system promises results, his high school and teachers are divided over the hate crime, and life keeps throwing curve balls. It is only with his inner strength, goals for his future, and the love of his family, that Noah waits for the final court judgment. This book is a sure winner, young adult readers will devour it, talk about it, and pass it around. It is a hard fight from the first look at the dark silhouetted figures on the cover to the final bang of the judge's gavel. Also recommended for reluctant readers, grades 9 through 12. Reviewed by BJ Neary