A Hope in the Unseen

Rating:
Summary: Beating the Odds
Review: Beating the Odds

As a freshman in college, the transitionfrom high school to college was a major step in ones life. CedricLavar Jennings has had this same transition. As a young teenager who grew up in rough neighborhood, Cedric beat the odds of bad influences, not having a father figure, and graduating from a not so successful school and ended up becoming a very successful student. Cedric was able to take a more mature approach towards his schoolwork and apply most of his time to it. He also kept his nose clean and prevented himself from getting caught up in any bad things. A story of a young boy, who makes the best of his opportunity and in the end, earns his dream of his struggle into the college ranks. A compelling story that gives the lesson of never to give up, strive for what you want, and reach for what you believe in. In this novel, A Hope in the Unseen, Cedric experiences a huge change from teenage to college years. As a young teenager, he grew up in a neighborhood that would be considered not your typical community. A neighborhood full of bad influences and poverty, where school comes second hand to drugs, alcohol, and violence if at all. The students of Ballou were people who carried many stereo types. The school had several groups of students. These groups consisted of your typical stereotypical kids. Each group had their own group name. The groups were the crew, the athletes, and the wanna be's. Each group was viewed differently, which made a grudge between the school members. This had an effect on Cedric because he was not involved in any of these groups and did not interact socially at all. Cedric was viewed as a student that was to be very successful in which was taken for granted by many of the other students in his high school. He was often picked on and made fun of for being successful, and lived in a high school career full of nightmares and hatred. As a teenager his social life was what you would say non-existent. He did not have that many friends in which allowed him to concentrate more on his schoolwork and give a full effort towards it. Cedric grew up in a neighborhood that would very easily considered not your typical community. Cedric escapes form that bad and turns it into the good. Cedric struggled through school with not much support. He earns respect in the end when he give full effort and achieves his goal.

Rating:
Summary: Overcoming the Hardships of Life
Review: Natasha S.Durham Hope in the Unseen is a very inspiring book. This book displays how something good can come out of a bad situation. Cedric had a very hard life growing up in Washington D.C. The things he had to go through in life no child should have experienced in life. Even though, he had to struggle to make it he proved that he could do it. In the society today your life is already predetermined before you even know it. If you were from a bad neighborhood and you were poor, you were not expected to make it. If you just happen to make it, it seems like a miracle. This is true with Cedric, if he was an upper class neighborhood and his parents were rich, than he would have been expected to attend an Ivy League school. In his case Clarence Thomas did not think that Cedric could make it at Brown. He states " A black man can not make it at any college, if he had not spent much time wit whites." That was a stereotype he had placed on Cedric. He does not know what Cedric is capable of. Cedric is the only person that can choose what is going it happen to him in the future. The book shows how strong Cedric is and how he is not easily discouraged. Cedric proves that he wanted to make it to an Ivy League school and he has. Even though, he was around all the bad things like the students who did not go to class and sold drugs he did not feed into it. He could have done what they did but he chose not to. He wanted to succeed and make his mother proud. The main purpose of the book to me was to display the trials and tribulations of a young man that has made it. Regardless, of what Cedric had to go through he made the choice to choose the right path. There were times when you would have thought he was going to give up. Specifically when they were giving out awards for academics. I believe he should have showed up if he was proud of himself. He has grown since then because now he realizes everyone is not like those students at Ballou and he should be proud of who he is. Even though he had to struggle harder than others do, it will be well worth the struggle. It seems that it is not fair that some students do not have to go through what he ahs to make college. Everyone has to except the fact that, that is the way things are and until everyone is willing to change the conception they have on society that that is the way things will always be. Cedric is only a small amount that has made it compared to how many has failed. Therefore, the book is an interesting and Cedric should be proud but what about the students who have failed?

Rating:
Summary: Hope for the Hopeless
Review: A Hope in the Unseen

A Hope in the Unseen is about the transition from high school to college. Cedric, grew up in a rough neighborhood in Washington D.C. He lived around violence. His peers in school did not have very much hope to get ahead in life. His main goal is to get ahead in life. The environment he lived in was not very motivating to get ahead. During high school Cedric was an honor roll student. He gets accepted to Brown University, an Ivy League school. His hard work in high school pays off for him. Cedric stays after school many days for science projects. Because he did not feel challenged in high school he did a lot of extra work. Although, Cedric had many opportunities to get behind in life he never did. This book can give many people inspiration in their lives. Cedric assumed when he went to college he would fit in better with people on his same educational level. That was probably his problem in high school. He had a difficult time in high school. He was far from popular and had the attitude; I am smarter than the average student is. His peers make fun of him for getting good grades. He was very happy when he finally graduated high school to get away from these students. He felt as if his life was just beginning when he went to Brown University. Although, it was not exactly as he planned. Cedric felt like some of the kids treated him different because he is black. Most of the kids that went to Brown University came from nice upper class families unlike Cedric. It was hard for him to relate with these kids. There were many issues he had to deal with. In the end he doesn't forget about his dreams. I recommend this book being read by future Ballou students. There is hope out there for kids that feel hopeless.

Rating:
Summary: Being Different
Review: The book A Hope in the Unseen, tells the story of a young blackkid growing up in a low class family of Washington D.C. Cedric LavarJennings has to overcome the struggles of being a teenager in a school where no one cares about going to college. He had to rise above everyone else and make a difference for himself. His dream is to make it big at an Ivy League school. Cedric scored low on his SAT scores which made it hard for him to get into a college. I can relate with Cedric, because I also scored low on my SAT's. Just like Ceric, I had people telling me that I was never going to make it at college. I was afraid of not getting into a college of my choice. Cedric relied on his faith in God to help him believe in himself. He knew that he was going to college and no one was going to tell him otherwise. END

Rating:
Summary: "Breaking the Chains"
Review: " Breaking the Chains" By Aaron Clawson

Ron Suskind wrote the extraordinary book A Hope in the Unseen. Ron, a Wall Street Journal reporter, in search of a good story runs into and remarkable student struggling to succeed in Ballou High School, one of the worst inner city schools in Washington, D.C. In writing the book, Ron wanted to push the political message that urban inner-city schools do not get the funding needed for a proficient education. When the students of the inner-city schools graduate they have trouble competing with the more educated suburban graduates. Cedric, the main character of the book, tries to leave his social class by receiving straight A's as he pushes to attend an Ivy League college. His single mother Barbara raises Cedric, while his father is in and out of prison for dealing drugs. Its all Barbara can do to pay her bills and make her tithe to the church. Ballou, the school that Cedric attends, is full of gangs and the students who are there for an education are constantly being harassed. Cedric, although self motivated and a straight A student, has SAT scores much lower than that of students who attend the suburban schools. This makes it hard for Cedric to get into the college of his choice due to his high school's poor education. This story demonstrates how less proficient inner-city schools make it hard for a student to get a good education. It also shows the transition, a student goes through when they graduate from high school and continue life in college. This is a good book for high school students, college students and anyone who votes on their local taxes. It lets the reader get an understanding of the struggles gone through by lower class minority and inner city students. It also gives to reader a feeling of the transition from high school to college.

Rating:
Summary: his hardships
Review: Why did a young man have to go through so much to succeed? Does every struggle come with a sweet reward? Cedric's life is a real example of hardships that lead up to success. He lived in a place that would've sent most people to believe that this is their life and there is no way out. He proved the "Dreambusters" that there was and is a way out. I believe that in this book Cedric's way out were not only his abilities to be smart, but also his beliefs in God. "There is nothing me and my God can't handle." If it weren't for his mother always instilling the Lord's words and the right things to do where would that put Cedric. Even when he is feeling at his lowest and he feels that he is most mad is when he finds himself turning to God. For example in chapter 3 Cedric gets into an argument with Mr. Dorosti about using the computer. The teacher tells him that Cedric has to let someone else use the computer and this upsets him very much. He ends up calling his teacher a "damn immigrant" and storms out the room. That day made Cedric very mad and you would think that an incident like this would discourage him form going to church, but it didn't. He finds himself walking in the rain and end ends up at church. Cedric sits in the back and listens to the minister preach. Then towards the end of the service he finds himself carrying on like the rest of the congregation. "Cedric feels a wave crashing over him. He jumps to his feet, the spark back in his eyes, 'Yes,' he shouts. 'Yes!'" After the service he goes home to find that the letter that he's been waiting for has arrived. He got into MIT. God and the church are always being mentioned in the book and it will be interesting to see if it keeps with him through college. I know that from experience your faith gets tested all the time. You have to deal with peer-pressure and all kinds of temptations out there. Only if your faith is truly strong will you survive.

Rating:
Summary: The college blues
Review: The College blues By Andrew Levering

The book, "A Hope in the Unseen" is a great book, which describes the tough times a college student goes through before and during college. Cedric the main character in the book is a young boy who lives in a low-income area of the black section of town. Living in this end of town is hard growing up and being successful. While being a young kid and very venerable, peer pressure in this end of town is not what you want to experience and go through to prepare you for the world. However, being young and very easy as every kid is, you really have no chance. Cedric's father is a convicted felon for dealing drugs and is in prison. While his father is in prison doing his time, Cedric is losing out on a father figure, which every person deserves to have. Even when he gets out of prison, Cedric still has a disadvantage for two reasons. One being his father is just getting use to this type of society. The other is Cedric trys to make it work with his father but it does not work because of the two different lifestyles. This I believe causes Cedric to grow up as a "mamas boy". With Cedric being a "mamas boy" and growing up in a tough neighborhood, he really had it tough when he wanted to associate with other to make friends. Without a father figure Cedric also missed out on sports and man things like hunting which he could have of been very good at. Cedric also had the disadvantage in life in the way in which he went to an inner city school, which dealt with many students. I feel, as though high schools with many students are a disadvantage for a preparation to college because they are attending so many students, which really drives away from a student-teacher relationship. Even know Cedric worked really hard in school and did very well, he was not going to his full potential because the school did not offer the assistance. When Cedric went to college, he found out that he was not as smart as he thought he was and was far behind the others who had the advantage of having a student-teacher relationship. Another disadvantage to Cedric would be his in-abilaty to make friends. This makes Cedric look like he is too good for everybody, which is just the opposite of what Cedric stands for. He feels as though he cannot make any friends because he is so much poorer than everybody else is. Also he puts out a vibe to the other students that they are not going to be anything and that they are much lower than him. However, Cedric eventually makes it through college and then goes off to work for a big stock firm in New York.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiration without a Father
Review: Inspiration without a Father

Getting to college and then adjusting to college was a very hard and exciting time of life for Cedric Lavar Jennings. Cedric grew up in Washington D.C. and not knowing anything but his books and how to stay alive. He had to struggle all throughout high school to get the grades he wanted. Cedric also had a dream unlike the average student at Ballou High School and that dream was to get into a highly respected college. His mother was proud of Cedric's grades and so was his father even though he was always in jail for drugs. Ballou wasn't that hard to get good grades, however all people at Ballou who get good grades receive more than just money for their grades they also receive savior harassment. For Cedric it was important to get the good grades however it was a struggle to go through high school with many people against him. The author, Ron Suskind, wrote "The honor students weere hazed for months afterwards. With each assembly, fewer show up." This was a prime example of how the "nerds" of the school were getting harass when they were doing well in school.

The school Ballou held many inner city schooling stereotypes that were real life events for Cedric that made high school a night mare to live through. Ballou had the average stereo types of inner school having lots of violence and drugs with in the students. Cedric had the best weapon of all to beat the odds he had a loving mother who wanted the best for her son. I believe that with a loving parent who really cares for their child's well being and some motivation from yourself that you can go far. Cedric proves in this book that it does only take one parent to succeed however it always better when both parents are around for inspiration. It was amazing and inspirational to me, to read this book and see what all Cedric accomplishes with a bad father figure. This book would be a great inspirational book for most college student and high school students who think they can't make it, because they can make it. This book is best describe on the cover of the book; it says "An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League"

I would recommend this book to most people because it was a very inspirational and touching autobiography. Everyone loves to read a story on someone who has overcome the odds of succeeding past inner city schools. As a son of a very loving father who's father left him at a young age, I know that it is possible for someone to make it without a father figure around the house.

Rating:
Summary: Overcoming Change
Review: As a former high school student, and a current freshman in college, I have just experienced the difficulty of accepting change and rejection. In the book Hope in the Unseen , the difficulty of adjusting to change and learning to deal with rejection is portrayed through the life of a young boy named Cedric Jennings.

Cedric Jennings was a student who excelled in academics. This academic success was uncommon for a student at Ballou high school, in the inner city of Washington D.C. Cedric stayed focused and resisted the temptation of drugs, and a life of crime like his father, and many other kids from his school, by focusing on his academics. Cedric experienced his first taste of rejection when he was not accepted to his dream school, MIT. Cedric was very upset, but he once again rose up and decided to go to the Ivy League school, Brown.

The transition from high school to college is difficult for everyone. Cedric had a very hard time adjusting to the change. Not only did he move away from home and everything that was familiar, he moved to an upper class environment where he is one of two black students. This was a huge change. Not many students from his high school and other similar high schools experience this degree of change.

The life of this inner city, over- achiever, is inspiring, and touching. Cedric is a real character who is a great role model for lower class adolescents.

Rating:
Summary: Desire to Succeed
Review: Desire to Succeed Review of "A Hope in the Unseen" By Edward S. Knight Jr.

Ronald Suskind, staff writer for the Wall Street Journal, in 1995 followed the academic and personal struggles of Cedric Jennings, a talented inner city youth from Southeast Washington D.C. His writings appeared in the Wall St. Journal and later took shape in a fast moving biographical narrative, appropriately named "A Hope in the Unseen". Suskind delves deeply into the psyche of Jennings and places the reader directly along side Jennings through his struggles from a dilapidated high school and into the foreign and dizzying arena of an Ivy League school. The narrative is highly descriptive and easy to read. Each struggle that Cedric is forced to grapple with the reader grapples with as well. Each test of Cedric mental abilities, decision-making processes, and social skills consume the reader who feels as if they themselves are being tested. The relationship between Cedric and his family, especially his mother, is emotional and at times gritty. Her constant pressure and watchful eye contribute immensely to Cedric's drive and ambition. His tribulations through the course of his schoolwork clearly and vividly portray him as a strong youth hell-bent on bettering himself and his future. This coupled with the racial tensions stemming from the transition of inner city to Ivy League, create a compelling inspiration story of overcoming adversity. The condition in which Cedric lives in and endures is the very reason as to why he desires to go to an Ivy League school. The book; however, fails to conjure feelings of sympathy for the main character and his current plight. Instead, the reader absorbs the poverty-stricken background, and is filled with desire to taste the fruition of achievement that Cedric so richly deserves and strives for. From the context of a student and a son the book is remarkably satisfying and this reviewer would recommend the story to any student or son/daughter seeking some personal inspiration