Tears of a Tiger

I listened to this on audiobook. It's not my preferred method for this kind of story, but I am glad I was able to experience this story again. Audiobooks count as reading. I read this in paperback a decade after it had originally been published. Now, nearly a decade after that, the audiobook was still available so I did that. I had remembered several grief and loss plot points here, but was surprised to find out I had forgotten so much about other relationships and social commentaries that fill out the book. What a welcome examination of themes. It's so current, even twenty years after it was first published. This aged extremely well. The portrayal of depression is super accurate. The way suicidal thinking is portrayed and handled by show more others in this book is--I was so glad to see it treated with--the author was never preachy. The author didn't--she was telling a story, and she did very well. I remembered how it would end, but found myself hoping the book would somehow end differently. I was invested in the characters and their relationships to one another, and how each experienced the world.

Congratulations to the stable of voice actors and sound professionals on their success with this book. Congratulations to the author for her success. I'm glad this is still available after all this time. show less

This is the strongest anti drunk-driving media I've ever experienced. I neither drink nor drive and it made me never want to get into a car again. This has VERY graphic opening chapters that is gonna stick with me, so if you have any issues regarding car accidents, do NOT pick this up. Also check trigger warnings for other stuff, because this hits a few other things that can be very hard to read about.

The beginning and end of this book was so well written, including all the types of formatting. The middle parts weren't as strong which let it down. And the reactions to the ending also left a bad taste in my mouth. SPOILERS: with everyone angry at Andy for killing himself, saying how selfish he is and how much they hate him for making show more that choice. It gives the wrong message for those who choose to end their lives. show less

*4.75. yeah, this was really, really good. It was as if I could actually feel the characters’ feelings come right out of the pages. And I love a book that makes me think, like honestly. I feel like this book does a good job of portraying what could happen if you do drunk drive, and the aftermath of it. The author did an amazing job of writing pain, expressing the characters’ pain over the conflicts that happened. I love when an author takes real-life situations and writes what-ifs. This was definitely a nice book to reflect on.

3.5 stars. I picked this one up because my son read it for class, and I was pleased to see it was written by a wonderful teacher from my alma mater. This book raises some heavy issues for teenagers. I probably found it especially interesting because of my personal connection to the author and to some of the small details that come from my hometown. One of the topics addressed was drinking and driving. It was no surprize to me that Draper would tackle this important topic as a first novel, as she was advisor for S.A.D.D. at the time I was in high school.

5/5 stars
You can find all my reviews here

That's what I remember--and that's what I'll never be able to forget.As a freshman in high school I was really depressed. I found this book in my English teacher’s room and asked to borrow it, thinking it sounded interesting. What I got was more than that. I got an experience I took with me forever. Sharon M Draper’s Hazelwood High trilogy has stuck with me since the day I started it and today I decided to revisit the first book, Tears of a Tiger.I loved everything about this book, just as I did when I read it at the age of fourteen. I understood and connected with Andy more than I could with most characters I’ve read about in the past. I loved the formatting of it. From conversations to show more newspaper clippings, it was always changing forcing me to keep paying attention. The chapters are short, and every word, every detail aims to serve a purpose. A few amazed me during the reread. First, it’s amazing how much she made me care for the characters without much insight into their minds. We only get to see what they would want people to see for the most part. Second, how much I cried even knowing what was going to happen. Finally, how well she set things up for the second book.I recommend this book to everyone. It’s powerful, emotional, and deals with a subject matter people tend to avoid in my experience. Thank you Sharon M Draper for writing a book that has meant so much to me over the years. show less

This is a story about a talented high school basketball player who comes to terms with guilt and regret after being responsible for an alcohol-related car accident that killed his friend. Andy’s shame and depression grow as he deals with this agonizing loss. Those closest to him worry about his state of hopelessness and pain. Andy commits suicide at the dismay of his family and friends. Obviously, the content of this story is rather heavy and serious, but I think there are lessons to be learned and themes that teenagers should contemplate in this book.

At times the writing seemed fake as Draper explained too much of a stereotypical black person's culture...working at Burger King, slavery, being followed in shops, etc. Sometimes what she wrote didn't seem necessary to the point of the novel and didn't seem to fit with the flow. Overall though, I liked the message this book was trying to convey. I think that Draper should have kept the whole book in Andy's point of view. I feel like there was too much dialogue and other genres going on that we couldn't really see Andy's degeneration; we were just simply told it. My favorite part of this book was the ending letters...they had a lot of passion and I got chills. Draper makes some really great points.

Note: My rating is not about literary show more quality, but my own personal enjoyment. Thanks. show less