Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
Realistic and Hopeful
Guess what? Growing up isn't easy. And growing up in the Bronx doesn't necessarily soften the blow. Our cast of characters in Bronx Masquerade has experienced some real hardship, be it the death of a parent due to drug overdose or frustration with the media's portrayal of its community as filled with kids who are up to no good. There's violence and death and sadness in their lives, and these high school kids aren't afraid to tell it like it is. Take Tyrone's thoughts on school:
School ain't nothin' but a joke. My moms don't want to hear that, but if it weren't for Wesley and my other homeys, I wouldn't even be here, aiight? These white folk talking 'bout some future, telling me I need to be planning for some future—like I got one! (3.1)
Importantly, though, this novel isn't all about the mean streets. There's some hope and change mixed in, too, and as the story progresses, Mr. Ward's students move away from narrow visions of what their lives might be and explore all kinds of other dreams and options. This is Tyrone talking about the future again:
The future is ours. Let us have it. That's what she's saying. That's what we're all saying. But I'm lucky. These days my moms ain't trying to push me in one direction or another. She's just glad I have one.
I read her this poem I wrote called "Dream" about doing hip-hop with my own band, and she started crying. My moms don't cry easy, so I felt bad. But she said they were happy tears. "You keep writing, baby," she said. "You're doing good." (74.2-3)
Someone's changed his tune, right? Life in the Bronx might not have changed much, but these kids have changed their outlook on life. And as this happens, the tone of the book shifts, too.