Bronx Masquerade

Devon’s nickname at school is “Jump Shot,” but he doesn’t think it suits him. Basketball makes others notice and like him, but he’s really interested in reading. He rejects Wesley and Tyrone’s anti-school attitude, though he admits they are starting to care more. Still, he doesn’t want to attract attention to his love of reading because his peers and brother tease him about it.

Devon is excited to be studying the Harlem Renaissance and has his own copies of poetry volumes by Langston Hughes and Claude McKay. He remembers sneaking into the library and being spotted by Raynard and Janelle. Neither of them was concerned about Devon’s love of reading, and Janelle gave him a copy of The Panther and the Lash by Langston Hughes. He reflects that Janelle is not afraid to be smart, which he admires. This inspires him to stop sneaking in and out of the library and be himself.

In his poem, “Bronx Masquerade,” Devon restates his sentiments from the previous chapter, calling himself “the poet / in tough-guy disguise” (41). He rejects the nickname “Jump Shot” and says, “My name is Surprise” (41). He challenges his listeners to look beyond his height and athleticism and see who he is on the inside.