Sharon Draper's Romiette y Julio

Romiette and Julio is the most self-aware YA book I think I've ever read. Sharon Draper's characters make several references to the fact that their names are so relative to that of Shakespeare. I've read Draper's other novels and they all follow the same style. This style is likely effective with adolescents but it didn't hit home too much for me. There is certainly a level of foreshadowing that is teachable to high school aged children, as the themes are a bit too intimate and mature for a younger audience.

As far as the style, the chapters are relatively short, and Draper includes words in every chapter that a typical teenager would have to look up in the dictionary or check for context to understand the definition. In this aspect, its another teachable element. The foreshadowing thats present, especially when Romiette and her friend Destiny are talking about the superstition of making a wish when the clock displays identical numbers across. That theme reappears at the end, playing a role in how Ben and Destiny develop hope that Romi and Julio have survived. It was also evident with the sacking, or rather 'transfer', on Nannette, the newscaster. She fumbled with the lines with her anchor and reporting duties a bit much. I found it to be overkill, however, and I think Draper was a little emphatic and overzealous with this character.

The themes, however, are ones that teens need to be exposed to, especially in literature. I think thats where the teachability comes in for this text. The gang, Devildogs or The Family, is ruthless and commits senseless acts of disturbance, including kidnapping Romi and Julio, as most acts committed by gangs are indeed senseless. I think Draper paints this in a pragmatic and comprehensive manner for teens to understand that gangs are indeed senseless. The inclusion of Julio's father Luis as this hardened man who doesn't want to see his son dating a girl outside their race is also one that is common in real life as well. I am sure some teen readers of this text have a parent or two like this, and eventually Luis comes around as he realizes that not everyone should be judged or generalize, and that in fact no one can be judged based on something so arbitrary such as race.

So, while Draper has written a novel for a specific audience, I wouldn't recommend this text to everyone. I know that certainly an urban teenager would enjoy this novel, and perhaps it has a place in a city classroom. That's not to say that a rural community wouldn't 'get' this novel, but I feel that an urban community could relate to the novel more, and it does take place in a city as well. The themes are still relevant to those outside the cities, and so depending on the school's curriculum, this could be part of an independent reading unit.