SHADES OF BLACK

A teenager is left in a predicament after a close call at school.

Romero is a Guyanese Canadian Black boy living with his mother, stepfather, and half brothers in the Toronto area. On his first day at a new school that is much more racially diverse than his old one, Romero experiences mishaps that lead him to doubt his chances of fitting in. He manages to make a small group of friends, but just as he starts feeling hopeful, a fight breaks out in the school cafeteria, escalating until a gun is fired. Through his new social connections, Romero ends up in possession of the weapon, which triggers more crises as the police intensify their search for the culprit. Anthony touches on racism, poverty, systemic bias, and domestic abuse in prose that could use some refinement. The fast-paced story offers a look at the life of a young person trying to navigate the stigma and pressures that come with being a Black boy. Romero wrestles with choices he made in the face of peer pressure (including those made to prove his masculinity), judgmental attitudes he encounters and repeats toward girls and their bodies, and more. Unfortunately, the lack of resolution and limited character growth undermine the novel’s clarity and impact.

A clunky novel for reluctant readers that delves into a variety of social themes.