| Booktalk
#1
It's time for the annual Robert
E. Lee High School's Slave Day auction. Students and teachers are put up
for bid to be "slaves" for a day. Keene Davenport just can't believe that
people can't see how demeaning this is. How can people be so insensitive?
What would happen if the African American student council president were
"bought" and forced to pick cotton in the school hallway or shine shoes?
Find out how Keene and other students protest the annual Slave Day ritual.
Booktalk #2
Every
high school has traditions. My high school had (fill in) a tradition
of wacky dress-up day during homecoming week. I'm sure (fill in)
high school has traditions that have been upheld for many years. Robert
E. Lee High School has a tradition: Slave Day.
Slave
Days is a fundraiser where the student council auctions themselves, as
well as willing faculty members to make money for the homecoming dance.
Keene
Davenport, an African-American student writes a letter to the editor of
local newspaper Deerfield Herald expressing his outrage at the upcoming
event. (Read letter excerpts from pgs 1-2). Keene's six-grade teacher
mother says that under no circumstances may he skip school. Being
forced to go to school, Keene comes up with a plan.}
Meet
the slaves. Mr. Twilley. The hardest teacher in the school.
Mr. History is his nickname, implying that he's been part of it for a long
time. Student Tommy Parks buys him for $1.14. Incidentally,
Tommy failed Twilley's class last year.
Shawn
Greeley. Robert E. Lee's first African-American student council president,
as well as basketball star. Keene Davenport buys Shawn for $30.
Annabella
Guzaldo. Considered one of the hottest girls in school by some students.
Timm Trimble, high school "player", buys her for $43. Timm is planning
on getting his money's worth.
Jenny
Robinson. Dance team member and girlfriend of football star Clint
DeFriesz. Clint started the bid at $5, but Clint's friend Damien
upped the bid. Clint unhappily pays $20 for Jenny.
Brendan
Young. Local computer wiz. He's the last slave up for bids.
Tiffany Delvoe starts the bid at $100. Tiffany's Mayor and Ford Dealer
Father insisted she very vocally spend this money at the event.
So Slave
Day begins. Each owner can order his or her slave to do anything
within reason, until the bonfire scheduled for that night.
Someone
will get hurt. Someone will learn an important lesson. Someone
will break the law. Someone will again find the joy of life.
Someone will wise up.
Not to
mention what the rest of the school discovers on Slave Day by Rob Thomas.
Available at your branch of the library.
Crystal
Bruner <cbruner@wendy.nashv.lib.tn.us> |
