The Battle of Jericho
The Battle of Jericho
Summary
What would you be willing to do to gain acceptance by the most popular group of kids at school? Would you do what you know is right, or would you do the things that would make you popular? Jericho Prescott, a junior at Frederick Douglass High School, is offered the opportunity to pledge the most popular club at the school--the Warriors of Distinction. On the surface the club seems to be wonderful--it's been around for almost fifty years and is highly respected by the community. The club even conducts a toy drive at the holiday season to help needy children. But under the surface, the club has many undisclosed activities, known only to those who go through the secret initiation rituals.
The Battle of Jericho is about the power of peer pressure, and making decisions which might affect the rest of one's life. Should Jericho go to the pledge night activities, or go to the tryouts for college? Should he humiliate a friend in a wheelchair or obey the pledge captains? Should he leave the club and lose his girlfriend?
I wrote this book at the suggestion of a ninth-grade student. She said, "Why don't you write a book about what they make us do to be accepted around here?" I asked her what she meant and she just shrugged and said, "Oh, you know, just stuff." I was intrigued and started asking young people around the country what they thought about the idea. Students offered suggestions about activities, clubs, and sports teams that involved activities that could be classified as hazing, which is illegal in all states. Other students told me about dealing with the kind of peer pressure that is unspoken, but very, very powerful.
Jericho's battle is with himself, his friends, and his future. What decisions will he make? What would you do in the same situation?
