Call Me by My Name

by John Ed Bradley

From former football star and bestselling author John Ed Bradley comes a searing look at love, life, and football in the face of racial adversity. "Heartbreaking," says Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak.

Growing up in Louisiana in the late 1960s, Tater Henry has experienced a lot of prejudice. His town is slow to desegregate and slower still to leave behind deep-seated prejudice.

Despite the town's sensibilities, Rodney Boulett and his twin sister Angie befriend Tater, and as their friendship grows stronger, Tater and Rodney become an unstoppable force on the football field. That is, until Rodney sees Tater and Angie growing closer, too, and Rodney's world is turned upside down. Teammates, best friends—Rodney's world is threatened by a hate he did not know was inside of him.

As the town learns to accept notions like a black quarterback, some changes may be too difficult to accept.

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Sports, Historical, Romance, Friendship, Teen

288 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2014

Reviews

[Jay G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...

3.5/5 Stars

In a small town in Louisiana, Tater Henry and Rodney Boulett meet one summer day in 1965. Unaware of the racial divide, Tater is taunted and thrown out by the white community. Years later, Tater and Rodney's paths cross again and they quickly become inseparable on and off the football field. Rodney's twin sister, Angie, accepts Tater unconditionally and their feelings for one another grow stronger but their father has other ideas. As time progresses and the town attempts to desegregate, Rodney must look inside himself and decide what he believes in.

This is such a great story, especially to help educate people on the history of our world. It is mind boggling to me that people treated others this way based off of something as small as the colour of their skin. The way sport is interwoven into a more important topic was very well done. The story felt educational, without being preachy which I appreciated. I loved the characters, especially Tater, he was so sweet no matter what prejudice was thrown at him. He was so humble and caring about those he loved. I loved the friendship between Tater and Rodney, even at times when Rodney was being a jerk. Rodney's character development is so well done and I'm happy with the way the story progressed. I honestly did not see the ending coming and was shocked when it happened, but it tied the story together very nicely.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical fiction, set in the 70’s in Louisiana.
Opening line: “The distance was to blame. It made him hard to categorize.”
Very appropriate, because the entire book centers around the harm that comes with “categorizing” people, and also to those that refuse to shun others because of differences.
I think this book would have great appeal for Y.A. audiences, particularly for the content about football players and cheerleaders. I could relate to a lot of the story, having grown up in the South where football is almost a “religion” for many people!
Trigger Warning:
Death of a parent by suicide is mentioned, and another main character attempts it.
Incidents of racist bullying occur, and derogatory names for different races of people are used.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review also found at http://kristineandterri.blogspot.ca/

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. The expected publication date is May 6 2014.

I will start by saying that it appears this story is marketed for the YA audience however I feel that this is a story that has appeal to a much greater audience. I am someone who is beyond the YA age yet I found this story beautiful and haunting to an extent and I feel that there is success for this story in the adult audience as well.

This is a coming of age/love story that takes place during the 1960's when there was still a racial divide in the south. Centralizing around sport, mainly football, it tells the story of best friends whose only difference is the colour of their skin. Add in a twin sister who both boys love and it results in a wonderfully tragic story.

While I am not a fan of football, I detest the sport, I was glued to the games described within the pages of this story. I could visualize the games and feel the excitement in the air for each game. I say this as you do not need to be a fan of the sport to enjoy this book.

It was Taters story that won me over in this story. His journey as he tried to succeed in a white dominated society had me from the start. The way he overcame the hurdles placed in front of him was inspirational. Bradley clearly created a character that you were cheering for. Although I could find no evidence to support it makes me wonder if there could be some truth behind this story and character, if he was based on a real person from his past.

This story made me think. Highschool is supposed to be your glory days and in many ways this story shows that. I also shows that events from your youth can mold you in to the adult you become and how certain people have a way of leaving a mark on you forever. I predicted the outcome of this story and in no way did it change the impact of it.

I would recommend this story to any reader who enjoys a good heartbreaking story that take place during a significant part of our history. Thank you Bradley for making football a little more enjoyable for me

[Landon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Football, friendship, love, hate, prejudice John, introduce readers to the lives of Tater Henry and Rodney Boulet. Tater and Rodney met on a summer day in 1965 when Tater came to the white park to try out for baseball. Uneducated about the invisible racial line separating the two parts of town, Rodney saved him from further harm from the white players who wished to educate him about it. It took four more years until their paths crossed permanently, and they soon became inseparable friends. Angie, Rodney’s twin sister, accepted Tater unconditionally while Rodney had to work to keep his racist father’s thoughts and behavior from becoming his own. Football unified them even more, as the two became almost as close as brothers. With Tater blazing new paths as the school’s first black quarterback, and Rodney, his protective lineman, college scouts lined up for them. However, as Tater and Angie’s feelings for each other began to grow to more than friendship, Rodney’s flare-ups of racism seemed to increase. I thought this book was well written and a fast read. The characters were believable. I think everyone of any race should read this book, and it's a great read for students. I really did enjoy this book. If you read this book and still don't know the depth of racism after reading this, there is no hope for you at all.

[Coby S · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author did a really good job at keeping the book entertaining. I felt like I could connect with the characters in the book. He described things really well, like the characters or even where they were at or what they were doing. The book never really had a dull moment. Even when nothing exciting was happening I still wanted to keep reading.
He could make one page really boring and as soon as you turn the page it’s like a different book. He connects sports with race, and how people felt about black people back then.
Rodney didn't like black people, but he wanted to do what was right. He stuck up for Tater and that ended up turning into a friendship, and then Rodney’s family started to like Tater, his sister started to love him, and people in the town started to like him.
They didn't want anything to do with him on their teams, but once he showed them what he could do and that he was like everyone else, they realized black people weren't so as bad as people made them seem, they started to accept him and the other blacks in the community.
This book will let you know how it was to be black back then. You will connect with all of the characters and feel everything they do. This book pulls you in and makes you keep reading more. This author did a really nice job with this book. 

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second time to read this for book club. A lot of sports but such a great start!

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of this book is Call Me By My Name and the author is John Ed Bradley. This book is probably the best book I have read all year. My favorite part in this book is when the two main characters meet and are like best friends. This is my favorite part because everybody was making fun of the main character and no one liked him. I recommend this book to people who like football or just sports alone.

[Abby Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Call Me By My Name takes place in a town in Louisiana in the late 1960s where they are slow to desegregate two young boys meet and later become best friends. The only problem is Rodney is white and Tater is black in a town where many aren’t accepting of interracial friendships and relationships. Call Me By My Name by John Ed Bradly follows the story of Rodney and Angie -who are twins- and their friend Tater who lives over the bridge in the next town. Because of the prejudice Tater faces in his town, it is hard for many to accept his friendship with the twins. As Tater continues to excel on the football field, more and more people in their town start to accept and appreciate him. Tater and Rodney’s friendship continues to grow as they receive many college scholarships together. Until Rodney notices that Tater and his sister Angie are growing closer and closer. Rodney’s perspective of his friend changes and he wonders if there is hate within him too.
John Ed Bradley directly shows that the character Tater is courageous in the way that he never cares what others think of him. The author shows this in many ways through the way that Tater speaks, thinks, and acts throughout the book. Tater continuously receives hate just because he was black in the time before integration in the south. After Tater got suspended from the baseball league for the rest of the summer because of a verbal fight with a white player who instigated the whole thing, Angie invites Tater to come to watch one of her swim meets. Her family quickly decides that it’s not a good idea for him to come to her meet. They didn’t want to cause a scene because they predicted someone would have a problem with a black boy at their pool even though there was no official rule saying Tater couldn’t be there. Their parents told Rodney that he needed to go tell Tater that he doesn’t think it’s a very good idea for him to go to Angie’s swim meet. Tater showed no care that something bad would happen and said “If I let things like that worry me I’d never leave the house.”(31). Tater believes that he shouldn’t be scared of the discrimination that he might face because he wants to be able to live the life that he wants, and not have to worry about what others have to say or do about it when he’s doing what truly made him happy. Tater continues to be brave and courageous when time after time he was brought down because of the color of his skin. The way Tater is characterized with strong morals and courage has a strong effect on others. Tater never lets others tear him down, which encourages Rodney to accept Tater as his friend even though his dad and society look down on a white boy and a black boy being friends. How Tater looks also directly showed how he was characterized and why he was treated the way that he was. He received hate almost every day because he was a black boy in a period of time where they were looked at as lesser than a white person. He also dressed differently than the white people he was surrounded by but he never changed his appearance to try to fit in. He had no problem being black and he wasn’t trying to fit in at all because he was proud of who he was as a person, and it takes a lot of courage to achieve that.
The setting that John Ed Bradly chose took place in Louisiana in the 1960s. This plays an enormous role in the storyline of the entire book. Because this is a southern state in the time period before and during integration, it results in a lot of racism in their town, and Tater receives most of it. One person who continues to discriminate against Tater throughout the whole book is the twin’s Dad. He always looked down on Tater when Rodney and him were friends but especially when Tater and his daughter started dating. Their dad wasn’t the only one though many people in the town shared the same hate. Throughout the years though as integration progresses and Tater continues to achieve to the highest degree, more and more people start to become a fan of his. If Call Me By My Name was set in a different region of The United States this book would have been a totally different story. There would have been far fewer people who didn’t accept him and Angie because of their interracial relationship, and far more people who would have liked him because he was a good person.
A theme that I gathered when finishing the story is that through friendship you can overcome obstacles and moral conflict. Throughout the book, Tater and Rodney overcome many obstacles and moral conflicts. The prejudice Tater receives for the color of his skin and having an amazing football season together leading to many college recruiters and a championship. Rodney also overcame some internal conflicts he faced. When he first met Tater, he stood up for him at the baseball fields and later became his best friend. When it came to Tater and his twin sister dating, Rodney started to wonder if he had some internal prejudice about his best friend because he is a person of color. At the beginning of Tater and Angie's relationship, Rodney wondered "What would she want with a black dude whose father had shot his mother, then himself, and who could have a girl from his own race,"(121). When Rodney thought those things it was clear that in some moments he only saw the color of his skin and not who he was as a person. Rodney knew Tater was a good person that’s why they were best friends, but it was hard for him to overcome that Tater being black didn't make him less of a perfect person for his sister Angie. Toward the end of the book, he fully accepts that the two of them will be together. Then suddenly they lose Tater and he sees firsthand how hard that is for his sister and how much she loved him. On the last page of the book, he tells a stranger that asks about his family that Angie had never been the same since Tater died and admitted that he would sometimes imagine life with Tater still around. "I also tried to see Tater as an adult with Angie, the two of them happy together, making their way in the world more tolerant than the one we knew. But it was such a painful exercise that I had to stop doing it.” (265). Saying this shows he wishes they could've been together through their lives, and showed the world how they loved each other and didn't care what society thought about them.
This book had an eventful plot with a deep meaning and theme of friendship and overcoming your own internal prejudice and conflicts. With the issues between the people in the town when it came to the topic of race this book opens up the discussion of the progression of unification of the races today. If you’re interested in books about sports and friendship, I would recommend this book. I thought this book was interesting throughout and had no boring areas during the reading. There are good details that show the characterization of the main characters and everything throughout the book was very cohesive and interesting.

[Will Ogden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book "Call me by my name", by John Ed Bradley is a good book and here is why if you like history, and sports you should read this book. Tater Henry is a young African American growing up in a predominantly white southern town, His mom has an illness that requires her to be in a nursing home and his dad is out of the picture, so he lives with his aunt, who has raised him so that he doesn't give anyone reasons to dislike him. Rodney Boulet is a star linebacker for the high school football team, Tater and Rodney meet through baseball but Rodney Quickly realizes Taters potential as a football player. With a tall and monstrous frame,with lightning quick speed Tater quickly adapts and becomes a running back where he excels receiving scholarship offers from colleges all across the nation, even southern schools, where a black athlete was frequently mocked. Tater quickly falls for Rodneys sister Angie, the author creates a Romeo and Juliet type plot and keeps it even once Tater dies. I liked the way the book ended and I thought that it was a good way to make the reader remember the story. But since the author created Tater to be a good character who everyone rooted for so when he dies on the football field to to landing on his neck it kind of shocks the reader and makes the reader feel connected to the characters. I thought that this book was very unique in that I have never read a book that has the topics that this book has. I think this book has a very wide audience, if you like any forbidden romance, sports, or books based on history then this is a good book for you.

[Aubrey Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Call Me by My Name demonstrates hardships a person of color had to overcome to have a what we would call a normal life. This story gives an insight into how hard the change away from segregated schools really were, not just for the students but the rest of the community as well. The citizens in the community were perfectly content with their segregated lives and when things started to change most were not too pleased. Bradley emphasis on the fact that you are not what you came from. You are who you decide to be. Tater Henry could have just tried to blend in but he decided to live his life how he wanted to and he made history. Along with having an amazing, although short, athletic career he found friendship in an unlikely place, had a high school experience to remember and found love. Did he have to work ten times harder to get where he was? Yes. Is he ever going to be forgotten? No. Just like Tater, your ancestry or living situation does not define who you are in your life because it is your life. Bradley also touches on the natural human trait of sticking to the prejudices that have been in place for hundreds of years even if they are no longer valid. They people in Tater’s town gradually came to accept his position as the first black quarterback at their school but even his closest friend could not accept an interracial couple. This is an amazing story for a teen or adult reader who enjoys a historical read. Bradley gives you just enough history to understand the story but not enough to take away from the story. This story is an emotional read with a painful ending sure to leave you wanting more of Tater Henry and his friends.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a relationship book with the appearance of a sports book. It's really about racial relationships in Louisiana in the early 1970's. The sports are just a vehicle for Rodney and Tater to become friends. It would definitely be appealing to kids who liked the movie Remember the Titans. The friendship between Rodney, Tater, and Julie is complicated and touching without being too sentimental. I think that stems from having the male twin as the narrator.

I have two complaints about the cover art on this book. First of all, the boy depicting Rodney is half the size he should be. Secondly, why did they choose to have the quote from Laurie Halse Anderson that says, "HEARTBREAKING"? It left me with a sense of dread through the entire book as I was worried about what exactly was going to make this book so heartbreaking. Also, I think that turns off the male audience that this book should appeal to. Heartbreaking implies a real emotional wringer and most boys would not carry around a book advertising that type of emotion. Not saying the book isn't heartbreaking; it is. But why scare away potential readers who might avoid the story and could really benefit from its messages of strength and acceptance?

[Clarissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We can't help who we love.”

☆4 stars☆

Ever since Plessy V. Ferguson, segregation was legal, the key phrase "seperate but equal" being used to justify it. Tater Henry is an African American teenager living in Louisiana during the 1960s, around the civil rights era. Stumbling upon a baseball field full of white boys, they immediately get him to leave. One white boy, Rodney Boulett, befriends Tater. Soon, Rodney's sister, Angie, becomes his friend as well. With segregation slowly coming to an end, Tater gets to go to school with his new friends.

Call Me by My Name was the first book I have read by John Ed Bradley. Reading this book, I totally thought of The Blind Side. They are so similar. Like with The Blind Side, I cried at the end. I am not into sports whatsoever, but this book was very interesting, covering a serious topic and thought-provoking.

[Kelly Oliva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for an awesome historical fiction novel with dynamic characters? Check out this title! Set in the late 1960's and early 1970's, this book tells the story of young, white Rodney Boulet, a small-town boy from Louisiana. As desegregation becomes mandatory, Rodney befriends Tatum "Tater" Henry, a black teen with big dreams to play quarterback in the NFL. The two easily develop a strong relationship on and off the football field. Rodney realizes his friend is treated unfairly because of his skin color, but when Tater and Rodney's sister, Angie, begin a romantic relationship, Rodney struggles with his own racism. This book is equal parts love and heartbreak.

I would read anything else written by John Ed Bradley. I especially loved the character development in this book--all of the book's characters are delightfully fleshed out. Bradley does a wonderful job of describing life in Louisiana during the 60's and 70's, too. I could easily picture the setting as I read this book. Strongly recommended.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. The cover doesn't do this book justice.
2. The books structure is just a tad bit different (only 5 chapters then almost vignettes within the chapters), and the way it is structured adds urgency.
3. It is heartbreaking.
4. It is more than a sports book.

[The Advocate]

"A good read — and starting point for discussion — for young adult readers."
Read more here.

[heba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice overview of the set timeframe

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book Call Me By My Name By John Ed Bradley; the 3 main characters Tater, Angie, and Rodney all try to survive their childhood and high school days together while dealing with people being biased towards Tater because he is a young black man. Angie has to deal with conflict also because she is in love with Tater and people look at her like she’s crazy because they are not used to seeing things like that because they are brainwashed as kids that blacks are bad, but don’t have a reason behind why that is. As the story goes on, Rodney gets a sense of hate that he has never felt before, which was seeing Tater and Angie in a relationship together. His thoughts went two ways such as Angie being with a black dude, and the fact that her sister loves a boy so he is protective about it.
What the author reveals about Tater using indirect characterization is the fact that he says nothing to anybody and just gets the job done. The only person he says anything to when he plays the game of baseball is Rodney, and in football it is Rodney and his teammates. He tries to make sure the people around him are adapted to how he plays and wants them to be comfortable around him as the new QB. He thinks about why the world is the way it is but he wants everybody to know that color doesn't have anything to do with how you play or live your life because everybody bleeds the same. His effect on others is the way he plays and getting their respect because of how good he plays. His actions are him being humble and playing the sports he loves effectively. His looks are what makes people look at him weird. He is a 6 foot 170 pound black teenager who can dress casually on any occasion but at the same time was kind of fancy. For example, “Tater had come wearing all new clothes and a belt with his name on it” Pg34. This shows that Tater has some sense of style to carry himself on.
In addition, the setting in the novel I am reading is in south Baton Rouge, Louisiana and it all started in 1965-1970. In a time of discrimination between blacks and whites, time goes on and the whites try to change and find things more normal than the beginning, but there is still hate for him because he is black. For example, Tater Henry is an all around athlete and can play any sport that you put him in, however the whites don't care about that and they don't want to see him play at all and want to send him messages so that he will stop playing. "A gang of potheads jumped him one day when he was walking home, they'd been hiding behind a large brick barbecue pit in the picnic" pg24. This proceeds that Tater can be dead to the world, and still somehow get caught up in some drama just because he’s black and wants to be a kid just like everybody else. In addition, How the setting affects the story line is that it really plays a major role because it shows how much brainwashed hate whites have against black during the 60s . "Don't you have any white teammates you could invite over? It's Tater, Pops. I know who it is. But he's still a black, ain't he?" “You can't possibly know how you sound” pg87. This proves that pops was showing behaviors that maybe was taught to him as he was growing up so he uses this as something he thinks is right to prove nothing.To help understand my theory, I think the story would change if the setting was different because if it was made to where blacks and whites got along, then there would be less conflict in the story and it wouldn't be anything to talk about because everything is normalized and there would mostly be good things talked about.
What I think the author is trying to convey about these topics is the relationship between Tater and Angie and Rodney, which is the love they have for each other, but Rodney meeting a side of him that he hasn't seen before which starts conflict. For example Rodney says "What would she want with a black dude whose father had shot his mother, then himself, and who could have a girl from his own race''. This bends the relationship between Angie and Rodney because she knew he was trying to not have them have feelings for each other but never was hard on Tater about it and it never was a violent issue. As a conclusion, the author expressed these ideas as the theme throughout the whole story along with discrimination and the theme of the story was heartbreaking,
I would recommend this book to anybody who wants a two sided sports controversial story to read, because this will have you at the edge of your seat and it is worth your time to read it coming from a person who doesn’t read much.

[Miles Newman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the novel, Call Me By My Name by John Ed Bradley, a white kid named Rodney Boulet and a black kid named Tater Henry start to become friends in the late 60s-early 70s, and they both join football. This is a good book that I would recommend because of the compelling characterization, how it uses a hardly touched-upon part of time, and the themes that tie in well with the story and setting.
The characterization is very strong, mainly with the protagonist, Rodney Boulet through his thoughts in the book and the flawed personality expressed by them. For example, Rodney is shown to still have prejudiced thoughts even though he is friendly to Tater, “A Negro playing quarterback in the pros? I knew it would never happen, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings by saying so.” (43) It wouldn’t be as believable as a story as it is if Rodney was seen as completely perfect. Rather than it feeling like Rodney is portrayed as a prodigy destined to make a great change in society, it feels like he is just another person who still feels content with societal expectations to some degree. And this prejudice makes an impact on the story later on, when Rodney’s sister calls him out on his behavior towards her and Tater being close to each other, “‘You’re a coward, Rodney,’ Angie said in a plain voice, as if it were a fact that finally needed stating.” (132) One of the reasons why the original Star Wars trilogy is great is because they portray the protagonist, Luke Skywalker, as an imperfect character. In The Empire Strikes Back he becomes impatient and paranoid and abandons his Jedi training because he believes that his friends are in grave danger, and this causes him to be caught in a fight with Darth Vader where he loses his hand. His action caused by an imperfection in his personality leaves an impact on the story, and it feels believable because of it. Same goes for Call Me By My Name; Rodney’s actions motivated by being prejudiced and unwilling to break away from racist societal expectations breaks his sister’s trust with him. Exhibiting a flawed personality through first person perspective through thoughts is something that isn’t, and this book handles it really well, and it works wonders.
The setting of the book is set in quite an interesting time, as it’s set in the late 60s-early 70s in Louisiana, after some big moments in the civil rights era, but before people are used to an integrated society. Tension feels a bit high during this time as seen here, “How blacks and whites interacted after being thrust together at a large public event was an unknown that it didn’t want to face.” (64) People are generally afraid of change, and change was coming to America. But when change is happening, sometimes people can get used to it and realize the good that comes of change, like after a big game where Tater Henry plays an amazing play, “A Star Is Born, read a headline prominently placed above the fold. Black QB Excites In Defeat” (99) This moment is the moment that society catches up to change. Realistically, this headline and moment wouldn’t happen if it was set any earlier or later. The setting is very important to the story being told, and is well placed.
With any story that focuses on racial issues there are always going to be themes of not treating people based solely on the color of their skin. While this book has that, it also uses said racial issues to express a theme of following your dreams regardless of societal expectations. Tater almost didn’t join football because Tater was worried about Coach Cadet’s preconceived notions of him, “‘You going out for football?’ I asked. ‘I’d planned on until a minute ago. Did you see that, Rodney? He looked right through me, like I was invisible.’ ‘He can’t be expected to know any black guys yet. Cut him a break, will you?’” (65) If Tater just gave up just like that, then he would give up on what he wanted to do for years, and would never prove that a black man can be a great quarterback in football. This concept for a theme is so simple, yet powerful because of the truth behind it.
When thinking about if this is a well structured book that establishes a world and characters that fits in a story with a theme that makes the setting important, I do believe that this is a book I would recommend to other people. This novel teaches people about treating others equally and following your dreams in a way that makes it feel almost as real as real life.

[Beetqueen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not generally the kinda person to pick up a book about football. Scratch that, I'm not the kinda person to pick up any book about sports. It's nothing against sports or the people who like them, but sports have never been my thing. I don't like to watch them or talk about them. And I certainly don't like to read about them.

However, this book is on the Eliot Rosewater nominee list for 2017, so it means it's also on my must read list. It's actually one of the last books I had to finish off the list and I might have left it at the end of my list because it's a sports book.

Despite my lack of enthusiasm for all things sporty, I did enjoy this book. Bradley manages to make a topic I find uninteresting, actually interesting to me through his character driven narrative. I like the characters of Angie, Tater and Rodney and because I like them, I want to read about what they go through, even if that is football practice or football games. Bradley manages to create believable, empathetic characters whose literary lives mattered to me and made a real impact on me.

I'll admit it, when I read about the final football game in the book, my eyes started to well up. Since I was in the middle of class (it was silent reading time), I knew I couldn't cry. My seniors would NEVER let me hear the end of it, but I wanted to and I was in serious danger of letting it happen.

Although I thought a few of the character's had pretty sudden "epiphanies" about their former notions on race and race relations, I'm glad that Bradley didn't let every character be completely won over by Tater as it would have made the story unrealistic given the time period. However, I will admit that despite what I consider a pretty decent grasp on American history, I couldn't help but be repeatedly shocked at the amount of overt racism found in the town Bradely created. Not because I didn't realize such overt racism existed, but because the book takes place in 1970/1971, only five years before I was born. I'm sure it came as such a shock to me since the book is set in Louisianna and most of my childhood was spent in Southern California, which is quite a different atmosphere. Still, it is so insane to me to believe that so much still had to be fought for by Tater and Angie. It broke my heart and was very sobering.

Not long before I finished this book, one of the teachers in my department commented that she needed more book suggestions to give to her male students who were struggling to find good books to read. She was a bit disappointed that John Green's latest protagonist was female as she admires Green and was hoping for a male narrator. Even before I finished "Call Me by My Name," I added it to a list I created of quality books for teens, especially boys who are struggling to find male protagonists to relate to. While I believe this book is a good read for any teenager, I think it may have a bigger impact on teenage boys who often struggle to find their voices in the books they read.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Call Me By My Name by John Ed Bradley, we see the lives of three children, one young African American boy (Tater), two children, one white boy (Rodney) and girl (Angie), who are twins living in the south during segregation. Throughout the book, as we see the boys grow older, we see their friendship dynamic change throughout the challenging times of girls, segregation, football, and Rodney’s sister, Angie, who becomes a new part of their group.
The main character portrayed in this book is Tater Henry. Tater is a confident African American who lives in a community that supports segregation. He still tries to attend events that some white people might be against him participating in. For example when Tater is watching Angie’s swim meet, someone says, “ ‘Is he with you?’ I heard somebody say. It was a park employee, standing behind the bleachers. ‘Yes, he is,’ my mother said. ‘That colored person there?’ ‘That’s right, George,’ Mama answered when Pops wouldn’t,” (Bradley 34). Tater goes to support Angie despite what the other white viewers say about him. Tater definitely has a hard life, but he perseveres and tries to live his best life.
Setting is a very crucial part of the story. The story takes place in a small town in Louisiana during the 1970s, during the process of desegregation. For example, society changed with schools integrating, “The big day finally arrived, the sight of black students on campus didn’t shock me much , nor was I traumatized by having to share the halls with them,” (Bradley 63). The author wants to show this point of time in the book because it demonstrates the real struggles Tater has to go through on a daily basis. If that was in a more modern integrated area of the US, then these events won’t be as big of a struggle for Tater, as it is in the South.
The theme the author portrays in this book is confidence and courage. Tater defies all odds and is best friends with twin white children during a time in history when that is rare. For instance, when the boy's friendship begins, they say to one another, “ ‘Good to see you, Tater,’ I told him. ‘You too, Rodney.’ I walked with him through the guys staring wild-eyed and the men chewing toothpicks, and we set up off to the side and started playing catch,” (Bradley 11). Tater has the confidence to go against the segregated community and make friends, like Rodney, in the “white” ballpark. Even though lots of other white boys and adults can harass him, and treat him poorly because of his race, he stands up for himself, and goes to enjoy playing baseball with his new friend.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read. This book focuses on the idea that it doesn’t matter what race you are, and that there is good and bad in everyone, no matter what they look like. Connecting with the characters in this book might make readers realize that our society now may not be equal, and have an understanding that we need to change the way we live and treat others.

[Coltin Baur · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author of this book is John Ed Bradley and has written many books like it never rains in Louisiana and call me by my name. John has won many awards like the American history book award. John was born in Louisiana in 1957 and grew up playing football and went to LSU. and took many classes in college and that's where he found out he wanted to be a writer. And John has written a lot of books but by far call me by name is the best. The book I am reading is realistic fiction because it can happen but it did not happen. And the audience for this book is for anyone who has played football because it talks about how an African American boy who was trying to play football. And no one would take him except one team who did not have enough players. And the boy turned out really good and was the lead scorer for his team but he got treated unfair and never got any calls going his way because of his color. The purpose of the book is to educate what African Americans had to deal with in the early 1900’s.
Do the binding, page cut, or typescript contribute or take away from the work? The book jacket shows the twins of the white people and the African American boy. And the jacket has the title twice one on the front and one on the back.and on the front it shows the author and the best book of the year. And on the back, it has a summary about the struggles about African Americans had in the day. The book jacket is very colorful and pops out and makes you want to read it and that's the main reason why I am reading the book. But overall the book jacket is very good and it shows the main characters. Do the binding, page cut, or typescript contribute or take away from the work? The book jacket shows the twins of the white people and the African American boy. And the jacket has the title twice one on the front and one on the back.and on the front it shows the author and the best book of the year. And on the back, it has a summary of the struggles of African Americans had in the day. The book jacket is very colorful and pops out and makes you want to read it and that's the main reason why I am reading the book. But overall the book jacket is very good and it shows the main characters. The book jacket shows the twins of the white people and the African American boy. And the jacket has the title twice one on the front and one on the back.and on the front it shows the author and the best book of the year. And on the back, it has a summary about the struggles about African Americans had in the day. The book jacket is very colorful and pops out and makes you want to read it and that's the main reason why I am reading the book. But overall the book jacket is very good and it shows the main characters.
This book appealed to me because the two main characters both played football and baseball and I play those two sports. And even if you do not play sports this is a good book because it shows the love of a true bond of best friends.

[Owen N · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book that I read was “Call me by my name”, by John Ed Bradley. The Novel takes place in the 1960s-70s in the racist south of Louisiana. The main characters in the story are Tater and Rodney. Tater is African American and during these times they were not allowed to even go to the same park, so one-day Tater goes to the park, and a group of white guys almost beat him up but Rodney helps Tater out and their friendship begins.
The author’s use of characterization allows the reader to learn and understand more about the main characters. Rodney is characterized as a conflicted white kid that is great friends with Tater but doesn’t know how he feels about him dating his sister, because of his racist upbringing. Tater on the other hand is characterized as a determined, resilient person, that is ready to take on any challenge, and a great down to earth guy: “Do we know a better person than Tater Henry? Do we have a better friend? And who is more handsome and down to earth?”(185)
John Ed Bradley uses the racist south setting in many different ways throughout the book. The main reason is that it allows for the main character to have challenges to overcome. When Tater tries out for the football team he is the only African American kid on the team, and because of this he receives a lot of hate. This allows Tater to have the chance to deal with this horrible treatment, and use it as fuel to the fire and become a great football player who can lead a team: “Lafayette would go on to win state that year, but we’d beaten them by ten points, mainly because of Tater.”(107) Being in a racist town Tater has to deal with everyone not wanting him and Rodney’s sister Angie to be together, or even just swim together. This setting is really set up for Tater to fail but he will not take no for an answer and continues to do what he wants.
Throughout the novel, the author conveys the main theme of earning respect, working hard, and not caring about what others think. Tater received an endless amount of hate in everything he did but would not give up. He kept his head down and worked hard, proving his doubters wrong on the way, on his road to success. When someone can do this, eventually they will start to gain respect from their peers, and that is exactly what Tater did when he scored the game-winning touchdown: “When local TV stations showed highlights and scoreboards that Friday night, Tater’s run was the top story on every program.”(196)
I would definitely recommend this book. It has likable characters and lots of thrilling sports moments too. The novel is well written and can be interesting for teenagers to read, as it has a nice mix of drama and action in it. The storyline is easy to follow, and throughout the book, you will be interested in what is coming next. “Call me by my name” is a must-read for high school students!

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the novel Call Me By My Name, we follow the three main protagonists of Tate, Angie and Rodney throughout their experiences during a time where racial tensions in the south peaked because of new desegregation laws. Rodney first meets Tate, when Tate shows up to the baseball field to try out for the rec league. Some of the players and parents told Tate he didn’t belong because of the fact he was black. While others were throwing things and shouting at him, but Rodney came to him and walked back home with him. With that one act of kindness Tate and Rodney became great friends. Angie and Rodney are twins and when Angie met Tate and saw the type of person he was they became an unbreakable trio. Something this book does really well is characterization. We are shown right off the bat the type of people the characters are. We see Tate as this strong and rational person. We see this when in a close game Tate and the opposing pitcher got into a scuffle where the pitcher charged at Tate and he was just defending himself by fighting back. The pitcher only got suspended for that game and Tate got suspended for the rest of the season. Rodney and Tate both of course argued but when Tate realized him arguing was only going to make things end worse for him. He tells Rodney to give up and walks away. He made the best decision in that case because he knew that issue was only going to get worse if he stayed there and argued. It takes a lot of mental strength to realize when and where it is best to pick your fights.The story takes place in Louisiana during the late 60’s and early 70’s which impacts the story in the fact that during this time the country passed desegregation laws and the south was heavily segregated. To emphasize this Rodney’s father was so shocked at the fact that there were not separate pecans for whites and blacks. They are so segregated that the ideas of whites and blacks being to buy the same item as each other is shocking to them. This setting is also great because it takes place in an area where football is a big part of the culture. Which surrounds Tater and Rodney with these opportunities to play.The theme in the story is no matter what difficulties and injustices you face it's never a reason to give up on your dreams. Tate didn’t give up on trying out for football because of his coach's comment to him and if he would have he couldn’t have become the star quarterback that he was. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys both sports and historical fiction.

[Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Call Me By My Name By John Ed Bradley is a book about three kids who grow up together and become friends but maybe more than just friends. Rodney and Angie are Twins and Rodney and Tater and best friends after Tater gets saved from a group of discriminating bullies. Until Rodney senses something between his best friends and his Twin sister. They all grew up together. Why should he have to worry about his sister and their best friend.
The book's character choice is good because there is drama between the 2 twins meaning after every decision they make they'll have to live with each other after. Tater is a colored boy in this time period who is friends with the twins, this isn't alright for the character pops the twins dad. “I just don’t want her to ruin her life” pops said after Rodney one of the twins confronted pops why he doesn’t approve of Tater and Angie. After all, all three of them are best friends forever and that wouldn’t change a thing. Tater also has an older half brother who hates him as you read the book. Its all Three of them Angie, Rodne, and Tater against the world.
The setting of this book is placed in the late 1960’s in the middle of Lafayette, Louisiana in an old small town. Pops the father works at ice factory during the night shifts and mama is a stay at home mom, Ms. Nettie is Taters aunt and she is a house maid and has to take care of Tater. Everyone knows each other in this town even though its segregated. “Thats a full blown colored if I ever saw one, Freddie yelled” During the time everyone grew up like this except Rodney and Angie.
I feel like a theme that would fit this book is success follows anyone no matter what race or gender. Tater is a African American boy with an arm like no other winning them the championship, even though the time period is rough that doesn't stop him from getting a scholarship from one of his dream schools, everyone cheers for Tater because he’s the best at what he does.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, this is a great success story based on a terrible time period in American history and how a boy makes the best of it and doesn’t let it stop him. The main character Rodney struggles with his emotions when Tater and Angie are in love. Rodney loses himself and has to learn to live with it.

[Emma Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Call me by my name was overall a very good book that I would recommend to anyone who likes books that tackle tough topics such as racism in a simple way and really make you think about your life. If someone liked the movie, The Blind Side, they would like this book. Both of them make you feel all kinds of emotions from joy to sorrow and by the end you are left with a whole new perspective. One of the things I liked about the book was having the story from Rodney’s point of view. His character wasn’t overly flawed, but not overly perfect either. Rodney was learning the same lessons in the book that the author wanted the reader to take away. I also liked how Rodney was a very down to earth character and compassionate character. I don’t think the story would’ve been as good or had the same effect if it were told from any other perspective. Another thing I really liked about this book were the lessons learned and just the overall theme. This book was different from most books I’ve read because every character had some kind of lesson they learned. Whether it was a big or small lesson, they were all important lessons for the reader to take away. I really liked how the author made the lessons subtle but still meaningful. Having different lessons that connected to the overall theme of the book tied the whole story together and made every character important. The one thing I did not like about this book was the plot structure. Specifically, the timeline of the story was kind of confusing. The chapters in the book were very spread apart so there were no breaks to show when time passed. There was a lot of time passing throughout this book, but there weren’t many signs in the story to make you understand when the boys got older. This caused some parts of the story to be confusing, but it didn’t take away from how good the book was.

[Laney Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally don’t really like reading unless it is a good book and I finished this book within a very short amount of time if that says anything. I have always loved sports and I grew up in a family that loved sports so the fact that it is based around that grabbed my attention. Secondly, I have always loved romance books/movies and that being added in there too was another reason I loved this book. Then it added a friendship going through its ups and downs, that was just the icing on top of the cake.

This book takes place in the 1970s and that is when racial inequality was slowly starting to get better. Through a summer league baseball team Rodney, white, and Tater, black, met and they hit it off. At that time it was hard for people to comprehend a white being friend with a black. School started up and they went to school together now because the government was starting to allow multiracial schools. The boys played football together and played very well when working with each other. Rodney had a twin sister who was on the cheer team. Tater and Angie, Rodney’s sister, seemed to have some sort of chemistry together. This relationship holds very interesting factors in it. However, Rodney and Angie’s father did not like that. He didn’t really like the other race very much. Anyways, through a bunch of ups and downs that everyone goes through and the pressure of being friends with a black person, at that time, comes to a very eye-opening, fun, and interesting story.

I recommend this to anyone who likes to read about sports, historical fiction, and romance. This book gives you some background into what life really was like back then and how far we have come as people and as a country. It’s also so well written and described that it makes you feel as if you were there.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the book “Call Me by My Name”. While reading “Call Me by My Name”, it reminded me what it was like living back then with all the controversy about integration. One thing I liked about the book was how Tater and Rodney didn’t care what everyone else and Rodney’s Dad thought about them being friends. It really inspired me to stick up for others because nowadays kids don’t usually do that for one another. Another reason why I thought this book was fantastic is it had a lot of plot twists. Like when their starting quarterback got injured and Tater got to have his chance. I didn’t see that coming at all because the coach didn’t give Tater a chance in the first place because he didn’t want to get yelled at by the players parents for playing a black at quarterback. Rodney also inspired me when he went to coach and told him to play Tater in the next game, even when he was mad at him. It proved to me that a friendship that good can never be broken. I would recommend this book to anyone who does not like having the main character always get the typical happy ending. When I first started reading “Call Me by My Name” I thought “Oh great, another book where the main characters ends up living happily ever after”. Then the author threw in some plot twists, which completely shocked me. However, they were not unbelieved plot twists. The plot twists were things I could see happening at my school. Overall, “Call Me by My Name” was an interesting and inspiring book.

[Landon Pugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book it shows how in the 1900's the south was still very hostile towards other races especially African Americans. But when Rodney meets Tater they quickly become great friends although many people hated the idea including Rodney's dad. John Ed Bradley wrote this book to the best it could have been by making it an emotional book. While reading I could feel the emotions that the characters were feeling.

[B220 · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Ed Bradley tells the story of Tater Henry, a star African American athlete in the newly integrated south. He's a star baseball player and promising football player, but he wants to play quarterback. Upon receiving the opportunity, he never looks back! But, being a star athlete isn't enough to allow his everyone in his community to accept him; nor is it enough to make it ok for him to date his best friend Rodney's sister, a girl who just so happens to be white. While Rodney has never had a problem being friends with Tater, this new development makes him take a long look at how he really feels about the race issues currently aswirl in his town.

This is a simple story, yet one that will have you cheering for Tater to win both on and off the field. I will say the ending was something I did not see coming. If you are fascinated with why people act the way they act and feel the way they feel, I'd recommend this one!

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Talking about race is always tricky, a hard subject to cover depending on who you are and who you are talking to and about. This story encompasses the contradiction that was and continues to be very real for people who are trying to not be racist but are born/brought up in a racist society.
Racists people aren't born they are made - clearly seen in Rodney's father who tries to make his kids as racist as he is.
Several phrases uttered in this book rubbed me the wrong way, these phrases were said by Rod's mum, dad and even Rod himself. Don't forget who you are and Rodney wondering whether he is racist and using the age old reasoning that he has black friends *sigh*.
A good read that helped me understand the situation of the Deep South as it's set in 60s-70s Deep South where racism as expected reigned supreme. I really hated how Tater and Angie weren't able to get together and more so how Tater's end came to be.