Synopsis
When the high school auctions off students and faculty as slaves during a fundraiser, Keene Davenport declares the event racist and unsuccessfully calls for a boycott before deciding to buy the class president and teach everyone a lesson.
Reviews
Grade 9 Up. A cleverly written story that is funny, but that has an underlying serious theme. Slave Day at Robert E. Lee High in Deerfield, TX, is a traditional fund-raising event. Keene Davenport's call for a boycott of the auction of student-body officers and willing faculty members is a surprise, especially to his fellow African-American student-body president, Shawn Greeley. According to Shawn, Slave Day "is good clean fun," Keene firmly relives that it is a reflection of southern racism. The plot consists of alternating narratives of several students and a much-disliked teacher, Mr. Twilley, during their day as slaves and masters, carrying books, running errands, chauffeuring, etc. Thomas's quirky humor leads readers and the main characters on a soul-searching experience as themes of equality, racism, feminism, and affirmative action emerge through this intelligently written novel. As with any class of high school students, some are sexually active and some express themselves through profanity and raw language. The final consciousness-raising in the characters' attitudes makes this book a winner. Like Chris Crutcher and Paul Zindel, Thomas has made a distinct contribution to contemporary young adult literature.?Judy R. Johnston, Auburn High School, WA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
``Slaves'' and their buyers raise considerably more than money at a Texas high school in this wild, multistranded teen tale from Thomas (Rats Saw God, 1996). Keene Davenport wants to raise consciousness about a school tradition that demeans African-Americans, so when his letter to the editor has no effect, he ``buys'' basketball star Shawn Greeley, the first black president of the student council, and sets him to picking up cotton balls in the halls, shining shoes, and similar tasks. Sleek Tiffany Delvoe raises eyebrows by purchasing geeky Brendan (for an uncontested $100 bid), aspiring thespian and history-class flunkee Tommy ``Trailer'' Parks pays for the services of by-the-book history teacher Mr. Twilley, and so on; using eight narrators, Thomas takes readers through a tumultuous day and evening that includes an attempted rape, a successful computer-hack break-in, and all manner of personal crises, revelations, vindications, growth, and just deserts. The many first-person narrations sound fairly alike, so it's hard to keep track of who's who, but the headlong pace, rapid-fire wisecracking, and sustained intensity of mood twisting through subplots scary, sobering, hilarious, and triumphant keep the energy level high in this pointed, meaty farce. (Fiction. 13+) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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