Customer Reviews

Surviving Chadwick: A Novel

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In Surviving Chadwick by Phillip Wilhite, I was captured from the first chapter by the male narrator, Isaiah Issacson. As the story opens, Isaiah has received the usual school brochure asking for a donation. He is about to throw the brochure in the trash, when a note falls from between the pages. It is from Jenaye, his only connection to Chadwick, with a request for him to attend a school reunion. Daydreaming, he decides to attend and pulls out a briefcase from under his bed to reflect on his journey to adulthood and Jenaye's letter. I too wanted to be taken on the journey to find out about his connection to Jenaye and to a place that he held at bay but was never far from his mind. This is a mesmerizing story reflecting on events that Isaiah thought were not important at the time they happened, but in reality were a major turning point in determining the adult he is today.

The author takes us back to 1973, when 15 year-old Isaiah is awarded a scholarship to Chadwick, an elite boarding school. His parents, who migrated from the South for a better life, see this as a wonderful opportunity and opening a door for their son as they believed the Civil Rights dreams. Isaiah is not quite sure what the all this means, as he is leaving behind all that he is comfortable with; horning his basketball skills at a high school known as a stepping stone to the NBA, joining the black power movement, and his best friend Tee, who helps Isaiah navigate the Oakland urban culture. So allaying his fears, and knowing he can go home again, Isaiah takes his swagger to Chadwick and comes face-to-face with an elitist culture that he has no knowledge of. How will he survive in this environment and does he even care if he survives?

I enjoyed this coming-of-age story as Isaiah figures out who he is and what this world means to him. While Isaiah has the usual teenage concerns, a first love, learning how to take the best from his parents and mold it to his dreams, learning how to handle change, and learning which battles are worth fighting, the presentation will have you reminiscing of your teenage experiences. I thought that the approach and pace of the storyline gave it a fresh feel and lives beyond the year 1973 presented in the story.

I recommend this book to both teenagers and those beyond their teenage years as this is a well-written story that will engage all readers. I recommend that this book be included in public library and school library collections.

Reviewed by Beverly
APOOO BookClub
July 21, 2009

Surviving Chadwick was an exciting page turner. I was on the edge of my seat, turning the pages, just waiting to see what Isaiah was going to get into next. I read the entire book in a couple of days. Isaiah is Afro-American kid from Oakland trying to fit in, into his all white, rich boarding school setting. He gets into trouble, but he learns life lessons. This is a must read for the young and old alike.

This "coming-of-age" novel chronicles the adventures of a precocious 15 year old from Oakland suddenly thrust into the "high society" culture of an exclusive prep school. Isaiah is torn between his Mississippi-bred parents' dreams for his success and his own need to be with his peers. In addition to being a high-performing academic, he is an accomplished basketball player who has left his teammates back in Oakland.

Wilhite has a skilled hand in describing with colorful detail the settings that Isaiah finds himself in. We readers become Isaiah as we feel the tension of a one-to-one meeting with Chadwick's headmaster, the intense anger after being ratted out by Isaiah's roommate and the embarrassment of Isaiah's mother's punishment as his classmates look on. Wilhite includes a gut-wrenching scene where Isaiah is told to read a passage from Huckleberry Finn, in front of snickering white kids.

Isaiah is torn himself with having to make a decision whether or not to stay at Chadwick. He is the star basketball player at Chadwick, and during his tenure, the all-boys' school experiments with admitting girls. One of the girls, he coincidentally had developed a crush on prior to coming to Chadwick.

Wilhite has a way with words: through his descriptions, the reader smells the whiff of fresh air, we see the lush southern California campus, we cry with Isaiah when he learns of a friend's demise. Wilhite has written a novel that would easily translate into a screenplay, and I hope he has an opportunity to project this story onto the big screen. In the meantime I eagerly await his next book.

I loved this book, it's the makings of a classic, should be on every reading list for young people. The characters are so real when you finish the book you can't stop thinking about them. I would love to know what happens next for Isaiah! Very well written, you would never guess that it was the author's first novel. Good summer vacation book!

"Surviving Chadwick" is so much more than a "coming of age" story. It's a teenage love story, a story about a family hoping to make life better for their children; a young man's struggle to define himself. It gives the reader a chance to walk in the steps of the main character, Isaiah Issacson, as he navigates his new world; a white world devoid of all things familiar to him. Issues of race, class and generation are told in a way that is easily digested, while being hard-hitting and REAL. The author shows the reader how every decision made impacts the life of young Isaiah; giving us a chance to look back over our own decisions. Parents and educators must have "Surviving Chadwick" on their shelves! as they help children navigate worlds away from their neighborhoods. "Surviving Chadwick" can easily take its place next to "Catcher In The Rye", particularly in African American communities. This author is on to something, with familiar characters, a taste of Black Oakland in the 1970's and the culture of privileged, mostly white boarding schools. While African American and other children of color learn to walk the tightrope between cultures, Isaiah teaches as he learns.

Surviving Chadwick by debut author Phillip Wilhite is a reminder of sacrifices worth making. Too young understand the bondage of Jim Crow, young Isaiah Issacson does not agree with his parent's decision for him to enroll in the Chadwick School and elite boarding school.

This work, although familiar in many ways, gives the reader a fresh voice through Isaiah's narrative voice. With strong prose the author invites the reader inside the mind of the searching teen as he struggles with the mindsets of classmates, instructors and the crisis that comes with being fifteen. Added to his state of dissatisfaction are his lingering thoughts of Jenaye Gardner. Fifteen years later a request for him to attend a Chadwick reunion includes a note from Jenaye. At this pivotal point in his life he reflects upon those bittersweet times that whether he admits it or not, helped to shape who he has become.

This is a period piece that reaches beyond its past tense era to become a relevant conversation for today.

[...]

Book provided courtesy of author.

Isaiah's parents left the South, moving to California, in hopes of giving their children a better life, away from poor school systems, discrimination, and no chance of succeeding. Isaiah's dream is to hang with his best friend Tee, play basketball, and work his way into the NBA with his basketball skills. The year is 1973, this 15-year-old man-child is about to embark on a major turning point in his life. Chadwick, the prestige prep school is very different from his life in the public school.

This debut novel started slow for me but as I continued to read the energy became intense. Watching Isaiah grow from boy to man, and the lessons he learned, were awesome. SURVIVING CHADWICK is a book for parents, teachers, mentors, teens, and young adults, opening the door for discussion on first loves, what's important and what's not, and adjusting to change.

I suggested this novel to the middle and high school Media Specialist in my county. I am also donating my copy to my church library.

Reviewed by Toni Bonita
of The RAWSISTAZ (tm) Reviewers

This story resonated so much with me reflecting back to my son's teenage years. He suffered similar angst and misbehavior at private school -- always pushing the envelope, never weighing the consequences, feeling singled out. His strict upbringing seemed to have little impact on his irrational decisions. Isaiah's growth may have been hastened by an unfortunate event; fortunately, however, he received a timely offer and eagerly took advantage of it. I liked the feel-good ending -- something plausible yet not perfectly packaged. That he matured into a responsible, caring adult and the prospect of him reuniting with an old friend gave positive closure to a specific period of his life and opened the imagination to a future of possibilities. I liked the fact that the author indicated what transpired between his school life and his current life but didn't dwell on it, so as not to distract from the essence of the story. This is ideal reading for teenagers -- especially boys -- and parents.

I loved this story! Surviving Chadwick is a refreshing account of a teenager's emotional struggle in dealing with his peers, parents and school administrators. Both parents and teenagers will like this humorous and honestly-crafted page turner.