''The Jacket'' is a 2001 children's book by author

Andrew Clements Andrew Elborn Clements (May 29, 1949 – November 28, 2019) was an American author of children's literature. His debut novel ''Frindle'' won an award determined by the vote of U.S. schoolchildren in about 20 different U.S. states. In June 2015, ...

. It was first published in 2001 as a serialized story that ran in the ''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' and was later published in book format on August 1, 2003 through Atheneum Books. The work centers upon a young boy that discovers that although he doesn't identify as racist or discriminatory, he does have deep-seated and unconscious prejudices that prompt him to immediately suspect the worst about a black student at his school. Clements based the book's premise around a similar situation that occurred in his life, where his brother mistakenly believed that an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

boy had stolen his jacket and confronted him over the theft. Since its release, the book has been utilized in classrooms as a way to illustrate different types of

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

Synopsis

Schoolboy Phil has never viewed himself as racist, but he's forced to rethink his stance when he accuses Daniel of stealing an imported jacket. Daniel, who is African-American, was given the jacket as a gift by his grandmother, who works for Phil's mother as a housekeeper and had received the jacket as a

hand-me-down Used goods mean any item of personal property offered for sale not as new, including metals in any form except coins that are legal tender, but excluding books, magazines, and postage stamps. Risks Furniture, in particular bedding or upholstere ...

. Phil immediately begins to rethink his actions, wondering if he would have treated the situation differently if Daniel had been white instead of black. Tortured by self-doubt, Phil looks at his immediate surroundings and is saddened when he realizes that he has likely been influenced by his father, who is openly bigoted.

Reception

Critical reception was mostly positive. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' praised ''The Jacket'', commenting that while the book lacked subtlety, it "pointedly delivers a timely message and can serve as a springboard for dialogue about tolerance and self-honesty.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jacket (book), The American children's novels Novels about race and ethnicity 2001 American novels Novels first published in serial form The Boston Globe 2001 children's books Children's books about racism