For our
first meeting, Heather, Lindsey, and I decided to discuss Walter Dean Myers Handbook for Boys over Google Plus Hangouts.
We read all had up until page 61, but weren’t quite sure how to begin the
discussion. We decided for this meeting to mainly just go over the Characters
and their personality traits.
Jimmy is the
main character. He is a sixteen year old from the Bronx who has gotten himself
into a little bit of trouble. With an
assault record, he was given an opportunity to not go to a juvenile detention
center if he works for Duke, who is a local barber shop owner. Up until he meets
Duke, Jimmy is just going through the motions. He was raised by a single mother
and really is a good kid, but just needs guidance and someone who shows that
they care.
Then there
is Duke, another key character in this book. Duke is a 68 year old widow who
owns a small barber shop. He owns more than a shop; it is a place for some of
the locals to come every day and spend their time. Duke is more than a business
owner. He is a mentor, role model, and passionate about helping others who
deserve help.
Some smaller,
but frequent characters include Kevin, Cap, and Mr. M. Kevin is also a student who works in Duke’s shop
in exchange for Duke paying for his college tuition. Kevin is a good kid, but his
mother had him arrested for marijuana possession. He seems to be an involved student with good
grades, but lacks a little bit of work ethic/time management skills when it
comes to working in the shop. Cap and Mr. M are Duke’s longtime friends. Cap is
a very opinionated man. Jimmy and Kevin frequently get annoyed/worked-up when
Cap decides to comment on the things they do. Currently, we do not know a great
deal about Mr. M, but what we do know is that he is a Hispanic immigrant who
had also owned a business.
Part of the
reason Jimmy has gotten into trouble is because he doesn’t fully know who he is
and what he wants out of this life. With the help of Duke, Heather, Lindsey and
I look forward to seeing how Jimmy ‘s character develops.
Some questions
we thought of after reading/discussion:
- Did Duke go to college?
- Will Jimmy’s father come back into his life?
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