Charles Perry1

After a basketball game, four kids, Andrew Jackson, Tyrone Mills, Robert Washington and B.J. Carson, celebrate a win by going out drinking and driving. Andrew lost control of his car and crashed into a retaining wall on I-75. Andy, Tyrone, and B.J. escaped from the four-door Chevy right after the accident. Teen basketball star and Hazelwood high team captain was sitting in the passenger’s side with his feet on the dashboard. When the crash happened, his feet went through the windshield and he was unable to escape. The gas tank then exploded and burned Robbie to death while the three unharmed kids tried to save him.

Andy goes back to school and talks to his basketball coach about how he feels about Rob’s death and how his friends and family feel about the accident. In addition, they discuss Andy’s sentence because Andy keeps punishing himself for Rob’s death. Everybody at school was crying during Roberts’s memorial service. Grief Counselors from downtown come to the school to try to get the kids to share their feelings.

At the next basketball practice, Andy comes in late and the coach tells him to get ready for warm-ups. In their next game, the Hazelwood Tigers are down late in the fourth quarter. Andy makes a three pointer for the win with five seconds left in the game. After the game, the coach gives Andy Roberts position as starting center and team captain.

Charles Perry2

Andy goes to psychologist, Dr. Carrothers, to discuss his depression about Rob’s death. He does not think he needs to be there because he is fine in school and he is fine at home. Andy talks about why the accident is his fault. He realizes he needs help with his depression and wants to come back for another visit to discuss what is going on with him.

When Andy goes to visit the psychologist for a second time, they start talking about Andy’s grades. Andy’s parents yell at him because he will never get into a good college. Andy has been feeling pressure to do well in school, as college gets closer and closer. Everybody in Andy’s class hates Marcus because he makes while all the other brothers in his class make Cs and Ds. His school counselor did not help him at all when he went to visit she just said he would not be able to succeed in pre-law because it was too demanding and he should just stick to sports. Andy does not try in school because the teachers do not think he is paying attention in class. They think he is just another dumb kid.

After Christmas break Andy goes to see Dr. Carrothers again. This will be the first Christmas without Rob. Andy tells a story about how he and Rob used to go into a store and mess with the sales woman behind the counter because she was afraid of them because of their appearance. It always made him feel bad the way they were treated.

Charles Perry3
Keisha calls Andy to tell him there is snow on the ground and that they will not get off from school. When they get to school there, English teacher shares a poem she likes about black on white. In class, they get in to a big discussion on color, race and the effect it has.

On Andy next visit to Dr. Carrothers, they discuss the weather and Andy’s depression. Dr. Carrothers tells Andy to call Robert parents, but Andy does not have the nerve to. Andy tells a story about him and Keisha walking and talking. Andy got upset because it was where the accident happened. He thought the wall he hit was much taller than it actually was. Keisha had to grab Andy because he was about to jump. She yelled at him. Andy was acting kind of spacey. Andy walked her home and they did not talk about it. Dr Carrothers starts talking to Andy about why Andy wanted to jump. They talked about being dead and Andy would rather have died than Rob. Dr. Carrothers suggests that Andy write a letter to Rob explaining how he felt.

Andy decides to write a letter to Rob’s parents. He writes about all the good times he and Rob had together hoping they forgive him. He says he will always treasure those moments and that even if they do not forgive him they can remember without so much pain.

In English class, they start to study the Shakespeare play Macbeth. They talk about how he used to be noble and willing to sacrifice himself for the king, but now he is a wretched, depraved, corrupt murderer. Ms. Blackwell explains that Macbeth is dead inside, but lives only because of his refusal to surrender to Macduff and the forces of good. It was Mary Alice idea that Macbeth Charles Perry4
Kill the king. She cannot take the guilt so she kills herself. B.J. says Shakespeare is saying, Life is short and then you die. And on top of that, life doesn’t mean anything anyway. B.J. thinks Macbeth is depressed because he killed so much that he couldn’t find anything else to live for. Andy got depressed and left the class.

This book deals the issues that can or already influence every teenager in America. It addresses the issues of peer pressure, sorrow, death, friendship, teen drinking, guilt and teen suicide. Various youth have said that won’t happen to me or I can handle my alcohol or I am ok to drive, I just had a few! As teenagers, you have countless ideas and myths about drinking alcohol in addition to its effect on you and your body! Teenagers do not realize how drinking just one drink and getting behind the wheel of a car can cause harm to you and innocent people.
Andrew Jackson, also known as Andy by his friends met his best friend Robert Washington since seventh grade. They both wanted to become professional basketball players but sadly, Robert never gets the chance to fulfill his dreams. After the terrible accident, Andy feels so guilty and depressed over the loss of his best friend. He turns away from his whole life, and no one could help him. Andy and his other three friends, who were also involved in the accident, mourn over their best friend’s death but Andy never gets over the fact that it was just an accident. He even sees a psychologist but that still didn’t make the pain he felt go away. He felt as if the pain was eating him up alive. His girlfriend Keisha tries to help him have a little fun but after a while he remembers Rob and feels depressed. He keeps having dreams of him, telling him to die so they could be together. Life seems like death for Andy because he goes on day by day feeling guilty Charles Perry5
And more miserable; he wished all the pain could just go away. He could not have any peaceful moments, not even in his dreams.
Andy Jackson and three other friends had just won an important basketball game. They decided to get together and go celebrate their victory. They had started drinking, all except for B.J. who had never drunk in his life. They heard honking, but just laughed because of the alcohol. All of a sudden, a wall is in front of them and before they know it, they hit it. Three of the guys get out, but Robert Washington, Andy’s best friend and captain of the Hazelwood basketball team is pinned inside of the car. Two guys rush over to help Robert out, but as soon as they get on the hood, they are thrown off after a loud bang. The gas tank explodes with Robert pinned inside and he burnt to death. From that horrendous scene, Andy is trying to deal with the death of his best friend. He feels he has caused his friend to die. Everyone affected by the accident deals with it in a different way. Tyrone and, BJ, the other boys that were in the car, are able to move on with life, Tyrone through a supportive relationship with Rhonda, and BJ from finding God. However, they were not driving, and their guilt is minor compared to Andy's. Andy's relationship with the psychologist, Dr. Carrothers, provides insight into the scars a white society can leave on a black male. He does not do as well in school as he could because that would not be cool for a black basketball player. He sees his father as a sell out to the white establishment; he and his friends are hassled when entering stores. Andy has all kinds of support: his coach is an understanding man; Keisha, his love, is as kind and gentle with Andy as one could ask for until even she has had enough of his tears and depression, which he often hides behind outrageous behavior. Nevertheless, at the crucial moment when he needs them, his psychologist is flying to California, Charles Perry6 the coach is not home, and Keisha's mother will not wake her up for an after midnight phone call. Several months pass by, and Andy cannot stop blaming himself. As he turns away from family, friends, and even his girlfriend, he finds he is losing the most precious thing of all; his ability to face the future. When he tries to sleep, Robert comes into his dreams and tells him it is his entire fault, but he forgives him for everything. Soon after these dreams began to occur, Andy starts going to see a psychologist on a weekly basis. Even after seeing his psychologist, Andy continues to have emotional problems as well as guilt problems. http://sharondraper.com/ book tears of a tiger