Book Review: Finding Forrester.
Genre: Drama, Literary Fiction.
Author: James W. Ellison
Year of Publication: 2000
Review: Nneka Iheme
William Forrester.
That is until Jamal Wallace, a brash 16-year old with a secret passion for writing, invades Forrester’s sheltered existence in the South Bronx and re-ignites the dreams of this literary legend in the winter of his life.
Known as the neighbourhood recluse, Forrester is a man whose mystery and eccentricity border on the mythical.
When Jamal– a talented African-American scholar-athlete who is recruited by an elite Manhattan prep school for his brilliance on and off the basketball court– sneaks into his apartment and accidentally leaves behind his backpack full of writings, they both get something unexpected in return.
Forced to look past skin colour and suppositions, Jamal encounters not only his first fan, but a mentor who will challenge and change him forever, and Forrester has his first reason in years to emerge from his self-imposed solitude.
Review:
From the blurb and first few pages, its clear that we’re following Jamal Wallace, seemingly regular teen, good at basically everything from sports to academics.
He’s a black kid living in the classic stereotypical black slum and at first I hoped it wasn’t going to be a book full of clichés. But regardless, for a book set in the year 2000, it seemed like an accurate depiction of what it’s like to be a poor and black teenager. And even though at different points in the book, we see Jamal try to prove himself, as though to fight the stereotypes that people (especially the antagonist) desperately try to fit him into, it still feels like he hides his passion for writing because it doesn’t fit the persona he’s known to be.
The image his ‘homeboys’ have grown to understand and appreciate. But then again, it could just be a result of his shyness and unwillingness to allow anyone into his thoughts.
Enter William Forrester, the “no-good old man”. A recluse, since grim situations from his early years as a writer made him decide to shut himself off from the world, but the term– neighbourhood creep– came to fit perfectly.
Somehow, a silly dare causes him to cross paths with Jamal, and after what felt like an annoying game of push and pull, we start to see their friendship blossom, both men stepping into realities different from what they had each come to know.
The story touches on mentorship and friendship, loyalty and support, the beauty of critical thinking and, as Jamal switches to a new school and makes new friends, a tiny bit of romance. It also does its best to dismantle racial stereotypes and pidgeon-holes.
One thing I really liked was Jamal’s obvious admiration for Forrester, and how eager and unashamed he was in his thirst to learn and understand and write, with William in turn proving to be a well of wisdom and showing us why he was a literary genius.
With just enough emotion to make it real to the reader, find out if the book achieves what it set out to. I’d recommend this for everyone but most especially those who like books that mention sports (basketball), or books with tough protagonists. Or even anyone searching for motivation.
This book might make you want to think more analytically, and wonder if you need, quite figuratively, to find your own Forrester.
(Get the free pdf at www.pdfdrive.com and for the film lovers, the movie version starring Sean Connery and Rob Brown is available on Netflix!)
Review by Nneka Iheme
