Summary Of Sharon M. Draper's Tears Of A Tiger

This is a Sharon M. Draper novel called Tears of a Tiger about a group of high school basketball players at Hazelwood High that just took a big win, and decided to celebrate with a few beers. They end up getting on the road after they’ve been drinking and crash into a fiery abyss. Everyone ended up making it out except one of the guys that got stuck and was killed- Robert Washington the most talented and gifted of the group. Andy Jackson was the designated driver who had also been drinking. After the crash, the Hazelwood community struggles to handle Rob’s death, especially his close friends and family.
Andy Jackson, a fun and loving basketball player who was very close to Rob was actually the driver that caused the car crash and killed Rob.
As he fades away from his friends and family he starts to slip further and further into depression. One night when Andy tries to fall asleep, Robert comes into his dreams and tells him it is all his fault, but he forgives him for everything. Andy starts to contemplate suicide and can’t get a hold of his psychologist. Later Andy grabs his dad’s rifle and takes his own life. The theme of this story is that in life, the right choice is not always the easy choice, and small mistakes can affect not only you, but also other’s lives. Personally, I learned that it is always best to make the right decision because you never know the outcome or future events. Life is short.
I liked this novel very much because it shows how precious life is, and that drinking and driving is NEVER a good idea. The story makes me realize that with maturity, comes difficult choices, and you must always be wise. Things like this happen every day and people always think, “Oh it won’t happen to me,” but you never know. I would recommend this book to my friends because I think the story line would influence their choices greatly. I think it would give them a better perspective on making good