Drummers of Jericho

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Summary: Why I wrote this book
Review: DRUMMERS OF JERICHO is based on an actual experience--ours. My husband and I were living in a small college town when his 14-year-old daughter returned from a year in Israel and came to live with us. Her first act was to try out for the high school marching band. Her next act was to show us the music she was being required to play, and to describe the halftime program she was to march in--Christians hymns, in the form of a cross. Neither my husband nor I is Jewish, but our daughter is, and she found the requirement a problem. When she protested to the band director, she was told to march--or drop out. Our protests increased, and the whole situation turned very ugly indeed. This was a conservative town, deeply religious, and deeply intolerant. I did what any writer would do: I took notes, saved newspaper clippings, visited churches, went to public meetings. I learned that our daughter's experience is not particularly unusual--such incidents happy regularly in Smalltown, USA (which Jericho represents). I wrote the book, fictionalizing many of the details. The model for Pazit Trujillo has gone on to live a happy and rewarding life. But she doesn't play the flute any more.

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Summary: A wonderful read, fast paced, and controversial
Review: Rarely subjected to people of other religions besides Christianity, Jericho is surprised when Pazit Trujillo moves in with her father. Pazit is Jewish, has a weird name, and wears "different" clothes. With only one friend who does not associate with her at school, Billy, Pazit battles through her school days. At first the overall attitude towards Pazit is rude but not abnormal for a new kid. She finds herself getting strange looks, people making fun of her name and clothes, but not much else. After joining the school band, Pazit learns that the band marches in the shape of a cross and plays Christian hymns. Protesting on freedom of religion, Pazit must go through constant torture and humiliation in front of her peers, but learns the true meaning of friendship when Billy sticks up for her. This is a fast moving book, and isn't that hard to read. I am in 7th grade, and recommend it to anyone around my level.

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Summary: My students loved it as did I.
Review: Thanks, Carolyn Meyer, for telling us the real story behind this wonderful novel. I teach school in Utah and we all remember a similar situation a few years back with a Jewish student who has difficulty making her Mormon community understand why she didn't want to sing songs about Christ in December. I've used this book in literature partners with a great deal of success and I hope it has helped to bring down the barriers between religions in our small community.

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Summary: THis is a wounderful book:-)
Review: This is an ausome book. i think the way they treated Pezit was not fair. If they didnt have anything nice to say they shouldnt have said anything at all. I think Billy was a very nice boy for being Zeeties friend. well g2g c ya l8er
Toodles amanda

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Summary: Drummers of Jericho
Review: When Pazit Trujillo moves to Jericho to live with her father everything seems all right, but when she decides to join the high school band things start to go wrong. At first she meets a boy named Billy who seems to be a good guy. When she starts high school he ignores her completely, and goes of to join his popular friends. Pazit suddenly notices she is the only Jew in the school and that all the other students are Christian.
Then when band practices start she has to play all Christian music and march in the shape of a cross! She imediately tells the band director that she can't do this and ends up on the sidelines playing her music.
When her father gets involved things go wrong and the ACLU get involved. The band director quickly has to change his plans, and after all their hard work students start to turn vicious. They start mocking Pazit, calling her names, and sending her threatening messages. Billy starts to think that maybe his friends are responsible and joins Pazit's side of the arguement. He starts speaking up for her at meetings and on T.V., and he also finds out that his friends aren't really good friends at all. Billy also finds out he kind of likes Pazit and Pazit finds she feels the same.