"The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice sees friendship and romantic love pitted against the power of jealousy -- which destroys everything in its path. It is also a play that examines the experience of the outsider, with Othello's race isolating him from Venetian society.

In Tracy Chevalier's retelling of the play, we are transported to 1970s Washington, D.C., where an 11-year-old black boy arrives at an all-white school. But it's when his attention is drawn to one of the girls in class that the trouble really begins. "

Acquired via LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program.

I was lucky to be the recipient of an early reviewer copy of this, requested not because of the subject matter but because I enjoy Tracy Chevalier's writing. This is one of several books in the Hogarth Shakespeare series, and is a more modern-day telling of the story of Othello. I have to admit to never having read Othello and really not being familiar with the storyline. It was only after I finished this short novel that I went back to read a plot summary of the original.

New Boy takes place primarily on a grade school playground in the suburbs of Washington D.C. in the 1970's, all in the span of one day. When Osei ("O"), the son of a black diplomat originally from Ghana, arrives at the all-white suburban school, dynamics shift and seemingly simple events of the day evolve into something more profound.

This is unlike any of Chevalier's other novels, written simply and likely for a younger audience, or at least it would be a good choice as an adaptation and teaching tool for the middle school age range. As simple as it is, and though the setting takes place several decades ago, the racial dynamics portrayed are still very relevant to today's culture. Having not actually read Othello, I cannot truly compare this to that, but it appears to be a well-written and true-to-life adaptation. A quick read, but an enjoyable and thought-provoking one.

Dropped off at Little Free Library. :)

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This volume has been on my shelf for a while. I wasn’t sure where it came from as I pickup books that are left on the stoops in my neighborhood all the time. Now, I realize that I must have gotten it on a visit to my mother-in-law in West Lafayette. We always swap good reads and check out Von’s when there.
Have just begun and look forward to this read. Always enjoy Tracy Chevalier’s work.
On a sunny, dry day, it will go onto the stoop for someone else to enjoy.