Draper, S.M. (2003). The Battle of Jericho. New York: Simon Pulse.



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Jericho is chosen, along with fourteen other boys, to pledge for the Warriors of Distinction, a school service organization that does a lot more than distribute toys to children. An accomplished musician, Jericho will have to choose between pledging and performing before a Julliard professor.



While told from Jericho’s point of view, readers also may relate to Kofi, a pledge with a heart murmur, Jericho’s humorous cousin Josh, or Dana the first girl to become a pledge for the Warriors of Distinction. The pledges must decide together whether they want to continue forward with the pledging process that is becoming more and more like hazing under the watch of the senior members, one of whom seems bent on torturing Dana.



It would be easy for young adult students to become immersed in this novel due to the emotional and difficult choices some of the students face. For those who hate to see characters faced with injustice, their reactions will be particularly strong.



November Blues is the sequel to this book and provides different perspectives of the same group students after the events of The Battle of Jericho are completed.





Activities to do with the book:



This would be a good book to provoke moral and ethic discussions among students. It could also provoke conversations over peer pressure, hazing, disabilities and loss. This is also a good book to show as an example of contemporary realistic fiction.



If a student has read some of Draper’s other young adult novels, this is a natural recommendation to have them continue their reading.





Favorite Quotes:



“The pledge masters marched the fifteen pledges to the middle of the soggy yard. The ground was muddy and squished as they walked, and the frigid air whipped across the pledges’ wet T-shirts. Sharp needles of rain stung them as they stood there silently waiting for instructions.

“Kneel!” Rick Sharp shouted to Jericho.

Jericho wanted to disobey, but instead he knelt immediately. Cold mud soaked through his jeans in seconds” (p. 1).



“He thought of the prestige of having one of these black silk jackets, the admiring glances in the halls at school, but mostly he thought of Arielle. He tried not to think of the rain and the mud and the stink of Rick’s feet.

“Are you willing to do anything to be a Warrior of Distinction?” Rick demanded” (p. 3).



“Since everyone talked about the Warriors all the time, it was hard to tell what was real and what was made up. Not all the whispers about the warriors were good” (p. 15).

For more of my reviews, visit sjkessel.blogspot.com.

A high school junior and his cousin suffer the ramifications of joining what seems to be a "reputable" school club. ( )

this book was very good. It really shows what people would do to try to be popular in school. Its also shows how cruel popular people are. ( )

This fast-paced story with well-drawn characters gives a realistic portrayal of high school junior Jericho and his friends' internal struggles with peer pressure and fear and choosing to do "the right thing." From the very first small crime, shoplifting, the Warriors of Distinction "Pledge Slime" begin to question the value of their choice to pledge the club. Still, the lure of being cool, wearing the black silk jackets of the Warriors, being more attractive to girls, all contribute to the pledges "all of us or none of us" quest for membership. Draper builds the suspense and readers feel the tension, all the time knowing that this will not turn out well for these teens. ( )

The Battle of Jericho clashes with a great topic—hazing. Who would not want to wear the stylish black silk jacket of the Warriors of Distinction? This club has been around for more than 50 years. Membership in this club guarantees status, fine parties, universal acceptance, and perhaps even the girl of your dreams—but at a price! The fast-paced action will win over many teens. Draper has a good sense for the way teens get sucked into poor peer behaviors, unable to speak about them even when they recognize danger.

The book has several problems. The most difficult is the dialogue, which does not match the novel’s realism:

“What’s manure?” Cleveland whispered.
Josh answered, “Cow dung. Doo-doo. Feces. Sh__”
Cleveland groaned and interrupted, “I get it.” (194)

The characters and their motivations are without depth. The bad guy, Eddie Mahoney, is especially flat. Jericho, the main character, is anxious to meet Arielle but is so shy that page after page drifts by before he makes contact. Finally he calls her on the phone and they arrange to go to a work party together. On only his second time speaking to Arielle, shy Jericho “was enjoying this. And he was enjoying the fact that somehow all his shyness had disappeared.” (49)

Young readers will identify with the struggle between acceptance and conscience. Pages will burn as readers march through each night of hazing. Draper fans may not be disappointed with this book, but she has several better books. ( )