Forged by Fire
by Sharon M. Draper This page was created by Chad Powell
Forged by Fire is about a young man named Gerald. Gerald is the son of Monique who is a drug abusive mother. One day while Monique is out getting drugs Gerald finds a lighter and catches their apartment on fire.
His mother is then sent to jail. He is sent to live with his Aunt Queen. She takes great care of him until she dies. Then he is put back into the custody of his mother. His mother in the mean time had married a man named Jordan and allegedly had a kid with him. It was a little girl named Angel. Jordan took a passed time in molesting Angel. He also enjoyed hitting Gerald and Monique. Gerald finally caught Jordan molesting Angel and decided to go to his friend Andy's dad. Andy's dad helped Gerald fill out all the paperwork and take Jordan to court. The court found Jordan guilty and sentenced him to six years in prison. In the mean time Gerald took up basketball and Angel became an excellent dancer. They used their sports to help let go of the hard times. Then Jordan got out of jail. He claimed to have changed, but Gerald saw through him. Gerald now seventeen finally caught Jordan molesting Angel again and he fought him. Even though badly injured Gerald made it out out alive with Angel while Jordan died in their apartment fire.
Personal ReflectionForged by Fire is a great book. It is very well written and extremely powerful. Sharon Draper puts you right in the shoes of a young man who has seen more problems in 17 years than most people will see in a lifetime. |
ThemeThe theme in Forged by Fire is courage. Throughout his whole life Gerald is faced with unbelievably tough obstacles and he manages to pull through in every one. Also in a way Angel has courage. She doesn't just give up on her life and sulk around. She dances to relieve her stress and get at least some of the demons out of the closet. ToneThe tone in Forged by Fire is somber. Nothing seems to go right for Gerald and his family and when something does go right it is quickly shot down by something equally negative. |