A Hope in the Unseen Response Essay

A Hope In The Unseen is a powerful and inspirational teen fiction novel by Ron Suskind.

It follows Cedric “Lavar” Jennings from his life in the poor and run down slums of Washington D.C to

his life in the Ivy League at Brown University. A Hope In The Unseen shows that no matter where a

person comes from they can still have success if they put their mind to it. I also learned that you don't

have to change who you are to fit in with other people. Another message I took away, is that if you

keep faith alive and set your mind to something and concentrate on your goals, they can be achieved.

In A Hope In The Unseen, Cedric lives in a run down neighborhood where pride is everything.

But he choses to show pride in his grades rather than other more materialistic things like most people in

his neighborhood. At his school , Frank W. Ballou High School, academic achievement is scorned but

Cedric still strives to achieve good grades. Ballou has a high drop-out rate and a not so high graduation

rate, but Cedric doesn't let this phase him. He wants to be one of the few to actually graduate, go to

college and have a better life. Cedric shows many examples of determination because although he

doesn't come from a top notch high school or have the support of his peers, he still manages to get into

an Ivy League college by keeping his mind focused on his schoolwork and his future. He shows that

although he doesn't have the best living conditions he still can be successful.

Another important message is that you shouldn't have to change yourself to fit in and be

accepted. Cedric always felt out of place being one of the few smart, black students at his high school.

When Cedric enters Brown University, he finds that he is one of the only African Americans in his unit,

causing him to immediately feels out of place. Once he starts to open up to people, he starts putting up

walls, because he is afraid of people