Finding Forrester

Forrester, the author of a famous book, decides to help Jamal, a 16-year-old student, discover his writing prowess by mentoring him and enrolling him into a prestigious private school. Because of scoring exceptionally high on a statewide standardized exam, and being an exceptionally good basketball player, Jamal Wallace is sent to a prestigious prep school in Manhattan. He soon befriends the reclusive writer, William Forrester. —the chan man In Bronx, New York, Jamal Wallace is a sixteen-year-old teenager that enjoys playing basketball with his friends and although being a brilliant student, does not care much about school. A man known as "Window" watches their games and there are urban legends about him. One day, Jamal's friends dare that he visits the man, and he breaks into his apartment using the fire escape ladder of his building. However, he is surprised by the man and flees, leaving his backpack behind in the apartment. A couple of days later, the man throws off his backpack through the window when Jamal is crossing the street, correcting Jamal's writings in his notebooks. Jamal asks the man to read his writings, but the man demands that he writes 5,000 words saying why he should not enter his home again in the beginning of their friendship. Meanwhile, the prestigious private school Mailor-Callow offers a scholarship to Jamal since he is an excellent basketball player and has high grades. Soon Jamal also learns that the reclusive man that is tutoring him is the famous writer William Forrester from Scotland, who wrote one novel and vanished, and promises him never to say that knows him. Jamal befriends the wealthy Claire and has a friction with his English teacher Robert Crawford, who immediately harasses him and accuses Jamal of plagiarism. Now he is threatened to be expelled from the school. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Jamal Wallace is an inner-city kid from the Bronx who has an aptness at basketball and a genius at writing. While always a C student, Jamal comes to the attention of a prestigious New York City prep school when he scores highly on his standardized tests. While Jamal is given a heavy load at his new school, both he and the school know that the real reason they took him on is for his prowess on the court. Befriended by fellow student Claire and helped along by Pulitzer Prize winning author and recluse William Forrester, Jamal pursues his dreams on and off the court while overcoming obstacles placed by his bitter literature teacher. As Jamal is shaped by Forrester, he finds that he is changing the old writer as well, forcing him to confront his past, and his future. —Danny Silverman <dsilverman@mindwire.NOSPAM.org>