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Story of love, truth, and identity.Loading...
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Mrs. Carbone's Book ClubLoading...
Realistic Fiction
Everybody's Son
Synopsis and Recommendation
Everybody's Son, by Thrity Umrigar, is a realistic fiction novel about the life of a boy named Anton. The novel explores his experiences from childhood to middle age and the story of his amazing turnaround. We first meet Anton, who was trapped inside his apartment during an intense heat wave by his mother. After 7 days trapped, he breaks out of the apartment and is found by a police officer when blood was dripping from his leg. We later learn that his mother was in a crack house very close by and presumably raped. Anton is separated from his mother by Child Services, and eventually a foster home is found for him. His foster parents, named David and Delores Coleman, live in a privileged and almost fully white neighborhood. Both David and Delores still grieve the death of their teenage son, James, who died
in a car crash just a few years before meeting Anton. David uses his connections to keep Anton as their son through various illegal methods. Anton's adulthood involves his lessons about love, his identity, and the eventual hard decision between success and family when he learns the truth about his foster parents and his biological mother. Everybody's Son explores controversial topics such as the separation of parents from their children, race and privilege in America, and identity. Thrity Umrigar is a gifted writer, and this book exquisitely addresses controversial topics in a perceptive manner. The book cleverly introduces various events and topics that otherwise would have made the plot uninteresting. Personally, this book is definitely in my top 5 recommended books for someone to read.
Listen to Our Podcast
Posted by: Alex, Carson, and Ryan
This podcast will discuss factors involving both the decisions made by Anton's foster parents and his biological mother. We will also discuss the controversial topics in this novel, such as but not limited to race, privilege, and identity. Finally, our podcast will review a few significant events in the book that developed the plot of the book in a strong manner.
Podcast Here: