Thoughts on Bronx Masquerade

 I found something quite beautiful in the writing of Bronx Masquerade. It’s simple and consumable and so perfectly high school – basically it’s exactly what it has been crafted to be. Grimes' attention to playing and intertwining the lives of these eighteen high schoolers is something to admire. We’ve discussed the fact that the characters are described and written about in vignettes, but the fact of the matter is that this entire book is a vignette of their lives; the book covers one school year of their lives. Each of the characters are nuanced and have their own difficulties that interplay with the poems they share, each existing in their own niches until we as readers are able to understand and watch them emerge from their own bubbles. The empathy that is expressed through these characters brings forth awareness about stereotypes

Of course, there’s a caveat with the ease and consumability of this book. Obvious sentiments are stated by Tyrone as he is the constant narrator and limits the ability for your own sentiments and thoughts to develop. As well as that, the stereotypes are not solved for, though they are acknowledged. I can’t help but think that perhaps that’s part of the purpose. The characters are in high school and are not professionals. There needs to be a sense of realism within the story because otherwise it falls short of what the book is trying to teach certain child audiences. Considering that specific audience this book is meant for, perhaps there is a purpose to this structure of writing. 

I can’t say this was my favorite book. I breezed through it and there wasn’t much thought, but I cannot deny the importance that it has. It was good writing for a specific audience that was not me. Still, I wonder if there’s any other way to convey the same message in Bronx Masquerade with older audiences in a new format and structure without losing its true sense of structure and self. I suppose Jason Reynolds starts to achieve something of similar caliber in Stamped. His writing was on heavier topics than highschool melodrama and difficulties and talks about how history relates to today. Stamped is what Reynolds repeatedly referred to as a “present book” as compared to a history book. I like the narrative he includes within the truth and history he speaks of, it continues to keep that easily understandable, entirely consumable structure that is so similar to Bronx Masquerade. 

The thing with Bronx Masquerade is that it doesn’t feel over. The final third of the book finishes with the end of year assembly – though we only hear the voices we heard throughout the entire book even though the entire school was allegedly at that assembly. The epilogue however, opens a new voice into the narrative and opens the door for continued story. I worry that any further stories – after doing some research Grimes has written books following the similar format, one titled Between the Lines that was published in 2018 – will be similar in content and not teach anything new. Having a second book play on the same idea of “combating stereotypes” and bringing awareness in high schoolers that only results in ending fairly close to where we began is not the most effective. 

All of this being said, I fully believe there is more positivity in Bronx Masquerade than any negativity, even though I have obviously critiqued the book. There is value in what is written and more value when realizing who the audience is that reads this book.