The Rock and The River

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text.

Short Answer

1. What associations come to mind when you hear the word racism? Although the novel is set in 1968, how is racism still part of the national conversation today? Although the country has made strides since 1968, why do you think there is still friction between Black people and white people?

Teaching Suggestion: With sensitivity in mind, defining and discussing racism and how friction between Black and white people is still an element of our national cultural conversation will help introduce the novel as having relevance beyond its historical setting. It may be beneficial to begin connecting the novel to the current cultural climate and recent events. These and similar resources might be helpful in providing you with talking points and language for discussion.

• For a look at how open discussion can help children develop a less biased worldview, the Scientific American article “In Schools, Honest Talk About Racism Can Reduce Discrimination” (2022) can be useful.
• From the Stanford Law Review, the article “Race, School Policing, and Public Health” (2021) addresses the mental health issues involved in racism and the police by looking at the possible effects on a generation of young Black men raised within this toxic environment.
• To help teachers facilitate discussions of police brutality and young Black men, Education Week provides “16 Resources on Talking to Students About Police Killings and Racism” (2021) with recommended sites for resources and anecdotal evidence. (Teacher-appropriate; not student-facing)

2. Think about the phrase “growing up Black.” What does it mean? What impact might “growing up Black” have on the coming-of-age experience? Is growing up a universal experience? If so, what elements of this experience hold true for all young people?

Teaching Suggestion: One key to making the novel a useful classroom tool is to ensure that the specific topic, the coming-of-age story of a Black teenager during the tumultuous 1960s, is made applicable to a wide range of experiences. Guiding the class to focus on elements particular to Black male teens coming of age in the US today can help expand the discussion to other segments of the youth population, encompassing gender, sexual orientation, economic class, and religious identity.

• Data gathered by the Pew Institute (2022) can ground the discussion in the associations young Black male teenagers make with their racial identity.
• “Growing Up Black” from the organization Race, Poverty and the Environment provides anecdotal evidence about one Black American’s coming-of-age experiences.
• “Growing up a Black Man in America: Why Our Souls Are on Fire” (2020) from the Seattle Times examines biased policing that reflects the national conversation about young Black men coming of age in a racist society.

Short Activity

In the novel, the teenage main character has a choice between two methods of fighting for Black Americans’ civil rights: radical and violent agitation to upend the system or peaceful, nonviolent work within the system.

Discuss which approach is more promising. Can you think of any prominent figures from history and in contemporary events who reveal the benefits or the disadvantages of either approach to social activism? Brainstorm a list of 3-5 key figures and discuss your reasons for including them with a partner.

Teaching Suggestion: The choice that Sam is given still defines the struggle for civil rights today. You might explore this theme by introducing and discussing prominent Black activists who identify with one or the other strategy, such as David Walker, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Bobby Seals, Colin Powell, Philip Randolph, John Lewis, Barack Obama, and W.E.B. Du Bois.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Write a journal entry about an event that left you feeling as if you had lost some part of your childhood. What did you learn about your family, your friends, and yourself through this event?

Teaching Suggestion: Students will feel more comfortable writing about this topic if they know in advance that they will not be required to share their stories in front of the class. In class discussion, you might prompt students to analyze what growing up means. Is leaving behind childhood usually the result of a single incident, or is it made up of smaller traumas or revelations that register deeply?

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with limited English proficiency might respond through an illustration of the experience and a few sentences to explain the context.