Scorpions

Scorpions. ISBN: 0-06-440623-7. Walter Dean Myers. (1988). Newbery Honor (Author also has Coretta Scott King Awards). Fiction. Age 12+. African Americans, Puerto Ricans, 12 year old boy, inner city life.

Jamal is a twelve year old boy who lives with his mom and sister (Sassy). His older brother, Randy, is in prison for possibly shooting a man to death. His brother was the leader of a gang that runs crack, called the Scorpions. When his brother was in prison, he had told his gang friend, Mack, to appoint Jamal as leader until he gets out. Jamal does not want any part of the gang, but feels that is the only way he can make money fast enough for his brother to get an appeal in court. He is having trouble with people harassing him at school; being involved with the gang and having access to his own gun helps ease his fear of being beat up. Once he gets the gun, it causes nothing but problems for him. It seems that his best friend, Tito, did not want him to become involved and wanted him to get rid of the gun, but was always there for Jamal and supported his decisions.

The way the author described the weight of the gun seeming to increase as the story goes on is very metaphorical as to the weight it seemed to be dragging his life down further and further in many ways. Jamal eventually ends up loosing his best friend because his best friend used the gun to protect Jamal from some of the gang members who were trying to take his role as leader. Tito had to move to Puerto Rico to live with his father to avoid being a delinquent.

It is a very sad story of how children do really start out having the best of intentions, but sometimes can see no other way to survive. His mother in the book put it well, "We all born with sense....Lord knows what happens to it along the way" (pg. 202). The lesson to walk away with from this book was summarized to me by the character Reverend Biggs. He said, "It's a hard life sometimes, Sister Hicks....and the biggest temptation is to let how hard it is be an excuse to weaken" (pg. 156). We can contemplate whether Jamal really had a choice for the path he was taking in his life or it it was what he had to do to survive. He was really enjoying his new job and was seeing the good in leading a straight life, but got very sucked into the gang.

I would use this book to discuss types of relationships and commitments with children. You could have children discuss each character and what their challenges are and if they overcome them. You could discuss loyalty, and in what cases in this story it was good (family) and in what cases it was bad (Tito being loyal to Jamal and going against what he believed to be right). You could have children point out the good things about Jamal that people (classmates and principal) overlooked (for example, his artistic talent, he liked to work hard, he wanted to help people).

Have the students write a prediction about what happens to the characters in the story. Does Jamal stay in the gang or does he escape that life? Does Randy win the appeal, or does he get killed in prison? What happens in Tito's life? Does Jamal let his circumstances be an excuse to let go of the good he has inside of himself in order to feel safe?