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Summary
Summary
From New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Brendan Kiely, a stunning new novel that explores the insidious nature of tradition at a prestigious boarding school. Prestigious. Powerful. Privileged. This is Fullbrook Academy, an elite prep school where history looms in the leafy branches over its brick walkways. But some traditions upheld in its hallowed halls are profoundly dangerous. Jules Devereux just wants to keep her head down, avoid distractions, and get into the right college, so she can leave Fullbrook and its old-boy social codes behind. She wants freedom, but ex-boyfriends and ex-best friends are determined to keep her in place. Jamie Baxter feels like an imposter at Fullbrook, but the hockey scholarship that got him in has given him a chance to escape his past and fulfill the dreams of his parents and coaches, whose mantra rings in his ears: Don't disappoint us. When Jamie and Jules meet, they recognize in each other a similar instinct for survival, but at a school where girls in the student handbook are rated by their looks, athletes stack hockey pucks in dorm room windows like notches on a bedpost, and school-sponsored dances push first year girls out into the night with senior boys, the stakes for safe sex, real love, and true friendship couldn't be higher. As Jules and Jamie's lives intertwine, and the pressures to play by the rules and remain silent about the school's secrets intensify, they see Fullbrook for what it really is. That tradition, a word Fullbrook hides behind, can be ugly, even violent. Ultimately, Jules and Jamie are faced with the difficult question: can they stand together against classmates--and an institution--who believe they can do no wrong?
Author Notes
BRENDAN KIELY is the New York Times bestselling author of All American Boys (with Jason Reynolds), The Last True Love Story , and The Gospel of Winter . His work has been published in ten languages, received a Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award, the Walter Dean Myers Award, the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award, was twice awarded Best Fiction for Young Adults (2015, 2017) by the American Library Association, and was a Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2014. Originally from the Boston area, he now lives with his wife in New York City. Tradition is his fourth novel.
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Kiely's (American Boys) newest alternates perspectives between jock Jamie "Bax" Baxter, a new student at Fullbrook Academy who is escaping tragedy and determined to start over, and feminist activist Jules, who is fed up with Fullbrook's social politics and its traditions based on hierarchy and privilege. The novel focuses on a nonconsensual encounter between Jules and her ex, Ethan, after both have been drinking at a party. Jules is left wondering whether what happened to her was sexual assault. Kiely explores the reactions to Jules's claim from multiple angles; everyone has a different opinion about what happened. Gillian, who is Ethan's current girlfriend and Jules's ex-best friend, witnessed the incident and believes that Jules lured Ethan into cheating. Other people also blame Jules and label her a slut, seeing Ethan and Gillian as victims, and there are further reprisals after Jules comes forward. In his portrayal of Jamie, Kiely writes against jock stereotypes, presenting him as sensitive, understanding, and courageous-a good guy for all women (and men) to have in their corner. A novel to discuss, this takes up timely issues about privilege, problematic school "traditions," and how institutions can in some cases protect their athletes and discourage women from reporting assault. Ages 14-up. Agency: Rob Weisbach Creative Management. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
In this dark and timely novel, two teens confront the dangerous sexism entrenched in their elite, formerly all-male New England boarding school. James Baxter joins Fullbrook Academy as a hockey player on an athletic scholarship. A brutal football accident back home in Ohio has left James wary of the chummy violence that team sports breed, but as a scholarship student he feels obligated to assimilate. Jules Devereaux is a legacy student, but her open criticism of Fullbrooks male-?centric social hierarchies isolates her and makes her peers uncomfortable. The two forge an unlikely (platonic) connection, but their bond is tested when Jules is sexually assaulted by her rich, influential ex-boyfriend. In alternating chapters James and Jules are equally compelling narrators whose stories detail two distinct paths toward activism. Jules speaks up about her assault, opening herself up to judgment but empowering others to share similar traumas. James exhibits empathy toward his new friend; he hesitates to provoke his moneyed classmates but is resolute in his decision to stand up for Jules. Together, they hatch a daring plot to make a public statement; although their act of rebellion isnt as destructive as the ominous tension threatens, it serves as a poignant catalyst for change and a bittersweet resolution for Jules and James. This is a bleak depiction of toxic prep-school culture, but one that feels all too real. jessica tackett macdonald (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Meet two teens who become friends at a misogynistic, patriarchal private school, even as they are both drowning in secrets. Jamie Baxter, a football-player-turned-hockey-player, needs to keep it together for one last year or else miss his last shot at a scholarship. Meanwhile, Jules Devereux is trying to be a bold feminist in a school where girls are told to not make a scene. Their secrets spill out when a teen party goes horribly wrong, and Jamie has to decide if he will support Jules in her time of need, thereby breaking a long-standing tradition of silence. Kiely bravely explores rape culture and how it intersects with class and privilege, along the way making his characters speak to those in privileged positions in a language they cannot ignore. Kiely, coauthor with Jason Reynolds of All American Boys (2015), takes on an important, sensitive topic that should help connect readers to burgeoning social-justice movements; readers will find themselves rooting for the world not as it is, but as it might yet be.--Bratt, Jessica Anne Copyright 2018 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Jamie Baxter is a disgraced hockey player who is attending Fullbrook Academy on a sports scholarship. His outsider status enables him to view the school's toxic masculinity and the faculty's deliberately blind eye toward it through a more objective lens. Jules Devereux is a senior who has survived the traditions of introducing first-year girls to their "duties" via practice sessions with bananas and the partnering of first year girls with exiting seniors for the Winter Ball. Their partnership begins to make a dent in a predatory atmosphere. Robbie Daymond and Alex McKenna's slow-paced narration and seemingly random jumps between readers without clear chapter breaks makes this production feel more like a stream-of-consciousness description of events between two teens rather than an audiobook. VERDICT This would be a powerful companion to Louise O'Neill's Asking for It and Mindy McGinnis's The Female of the Species and it also provides a strong curricular connection to health classes.-Jodeana Kruse, R.A. Long High School, Longview, WA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A prestigious prep school enforces toxic masculinity.James Baxter is a scholarship kid intent on keeping his head down and not rocking the boat at highly acclaimed Fullbrook Academy. Meanwhile, Jules Devereux doesn't mind ruffling feathers if it means changing a few minds. Together, the high school seniors unearth a vile, sexist ritual and the accompanying rot that has spread throughout Fullbrook's culture. As Jules discovers her agency, James learns the first rule of being an ally: actively listening. The author's plotting is loose, resulting in a novel that winds here and there, eschewing forward thrust in favor of a true exploration of the social dynamics at play. The novel avoids sermonizing, embedding themes in character arcs so well that every feminist argument emerges as a natural part of the story. Readers will find many aspects of the real world reflected in Fullbrook's campus, beginning with institutions that have turned a blind eye to questionable and sordid practices because that's the way things have always been done. As more organizations are subjected to scrutiny, this novel is a timely road map for those looking to find their places in this rapidly changing world. All major characters are white.A thoughtfully crafted argument for feminism and allyship. (Fiction. 12-16)
Excerpts
Excerpts
Tradition CHAPTER 1 JAMES BAXTER In the mess of my first day at Fullbrook I had one clear thought: I do not belong here. I didn't have the right clothes, the right hairstyle, the right way to speak. I didn't even know I had no clue about any of those things until I stood on the sidewalk outside my new home, boys' dorm number 3, Tapper Hall, and watched the families swirling around the residential quad. The seniors managing Move-In Day strolled around in their soft-toed loafers, their linen jackets and ties, relaxed and carefree, putting parents at ease with the smiles they tossed to each other across the walkways and grass. I watched, amazed, as some of the freshmen plucked those smiles out of the air and tried them on for themselves. They were naturals. Not me. I was the eighteen-year-old moron starting all over again at a new high school. A fifth year--postgraduate, they call it, to be kind. "Hey," one of the linen jackets said, approaching me. "You must be the Buckeye." All I wanted to do was hide, but the sun was a spotlight burning down through the leaves of the tree above me. When I didn't respond, he continued. "They told me you were an athlete from Ohio." He grinned. "Just look at you. You got to be the Buckeye. Hey, Hackett," he yelled over his shoulder. "Found the Buckeye." I tried to look natural but I never knew what to do with my hands. That's why I'd grown up holding a stick or a ball or a dumbbell. I clasped my fingers behind my back, and ended up looking like some keyed-up military man. I even had the stupid buzz cut. All these guys had hair they had to style. Especially the guy walking up to us, the one called Hackett. These guys looked like they flossed their teeth with the kind of money I'd make in a summer working Uncle Earl's farm. The short guy with a pit bull's bulging shoulders and flat-faced grin, and his taller friend, the shaggy-haired pretty boy, the one called Hackett. "What's up?" I didn't mean to sound standoffish, but I did. It comes too easy. I'm the kind of guy people expect to punch holes through walls--not because I want to, just because I can. "Freddie." The pit bull stuck out his hand. I took it. The pretty boy looked on, sleepy eyed. "Hackett," he said, without taking his hands from his pockets. "Ethan Hackett." "Hackett and I," Freddie continued, "we've been assigned to you. All the new guys get a mentor to show them the ropes. Mostly freshmen, of course, but there are a couple PGs this year. So whatever, you're one of the new guys." "We actually picked you, Buckeye," Hackett went on. "Ha!" Freddie barked. "No, I got assigned to you because I play real sports too. Hackett thinks skiing is a sport." "Ignore him," Hackett said. "He has a limited vocabulary." Freddie pushed Hackett, who stumbled, but balanced himself quickly. "See," Hackett said, smiling. "Guy talks with his fists." "Back home everyone called me Jamie," I said, trying to say something. "Yeah, great," Freddie said. "Drop those last two bags in your room, Buckeye." He wiped a broad arc in the air. "We'll show you around." Freddie urged me on, slapping me on the shoulder, pushing me through the dorm. He and Hackett walked down the hall throwing those smiles, shaking hands with parents and freshmen along the way. "Welcome to Fullbrook!" They could have been running for office. Once we'd dumped the bags and were back outside, Freddie led us up the street between the dorms. "Girls," he pointed. "Girls. Boys." He grinned. "We'll get to the girls themselves later." "Cool," I said, trying to follow him. I was taking in the sweep of scenery, the narrow, zigzagging paths winding through clusters of trees, connecting one brick mansion to another. The blue day--even the watery reflections in the stained-glass windows seemed curated, cultivated, perfected. History was everywhere, looming over me like the long, leafy branches casting shadows over the walkway. "Hear you're a football player." A sliver of pain sliced through me. "Was." Football was out. That life was over. One play and it was as if I'd ripped a hole in the ground and pulled my whole town down into the darkness below. "I'm here for hockey." My second sport. The one my family, Coach Drucker, and the handful of people who still talked to me back home all told me was my ticket up and out. Kid like you deserves a second chance, I'd been told. "Yeah, yeah. I know," Freddie went on. "You're the new secret weapon. But this is fall. Football, football, football." He stutter-stepped, threw a fake left, and rolled around Hackett. He got a few paces ahead of us, stopped, and turned back. "What I mean is, Coach O would give his left nut to have you on the football team. What'd you play?" "Linebacker." "Damn. That's what we need, man! A defensive line. Blitz pressure. Sacks." He rambled on, setting nerves on fire beneath my skin. I hadn't been on campus for an hour, and already I could hear the echoes from back home. What the hell's the matter with you, Jamie? "Look at you. Must have racked up a hell of a hit count. We scratch ours in rows on our lockers." He bumped me with his shoulder. "Hit, hit, hit." He nodded. "You know wassup." "That's right." "Why aren't you playing?" I searched for something that wouldn't sound as awful as the truth. "Grades," I lied. "For real?" Freddie said. "You have to do it all here, Buckeye. Do it all. Be it all." We crossed another street and Hackett pointed to a tree in front of the administration building. "Oldest tree on campus," he said. "I don't know, 250 years old, something like that." He pointed to a break between branches. From where we stood looking up, the branches perfectly framed the engraved lettering in the arch above the front door of the administration building. It was Latin, which I only guessed because of the weird V for a U. "School motto?" "That's right," Hackett said. " 'Ut parati in mundo.' Ready to take on the world, we say." He grinned at Freddie. "Are you screwing with me?" "No," Freddie said. He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, it's corny as hell," Hackett continued. "They'll take the whole freshman class here and show them this. They'll talk about the tree, its deep roots, its soaring branches," he said, dropping his voice cartoonishly. "They'll point to the school motto and remind them what it means to join the Fullbrook legacy." "Corny," Freddie echoed. "Now let's get to the real shit." Ready to take on the world? I'd seen the motto when I'd visited the previous spring. Everybody at Fullbrook seemed like a genius to me, already worldly, already honing their special skill, building robots, singing arias, starting their own tech company. I wasn't ready to do one night's homework. I wasn't ready to tie a tie. What did I do? I could stop a puck from passing between the pipes--but I had to make it all the way to winter before anybody would care about that. They swung me around the administration building and into the academic quad. The lawn in the center was as long and wide as three football fields combined. In fact, Fullbrook might as well have been a college campus. It had the multimillion-dollar sports complex, physics lab, arts center, and global studies buildings to prove it, not to mention the two-hundred-year-old redbrick mansions and halls housing all the other classrooms and offices. At the far end of the lawn, at the edge of the forest that surrounded the campus, were the baseball and football fields. But next to the sports complex, set slightly apart, as if to show off that it was there in the first place, was the hockey rink. "That's it," Freddie said, pointing to the small stadium. "That's where it's all going down this year. I swear we're making it to States." The roof over the rink was concave, and because the great lawn sloped toward it, the entire building seemed sunk into the ground, the forest rising above it in the distance. The gleaming roof caught and threw back the light of the sun. "Yeah, right," Hackett said. "Not football, maybe," Freddie conceded. "We're too small." He eyed me. "But hockey? Hell, yes." He clamped down on my shoulder. "We got our new secret weapon, right here. New goalie. My man, the Midwestern Monster." That nickname stuck like a fishbone in my throat. I was speechless. He laughed and I forced a weak smile in return. "I know Coach O's got to be talking to you about playing football, too," he continued. "We need a line, man." Coach O'Leary wasn't. He wasn't supposed to. Football was out. Instead, we were supposed to meet the next day to begin planning my off-season training. I had to get decent grades, show the college world I was worth its time. I had to be ready to show my stuff this winter. I'd been All-State junior year, but I hadn't played senior year, so everybody needed to see that I was the goalie they all believed me to be. Coach O was counting on me. Back home, my folks were counting on me, and Coach Drucker. My old principal, too. Even Uncle Earl. This winter, everything was on the line. Excerpted from Tradition by Brendan Kiely All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.