Andy Jackson was driving the car that crashed one night after a game, killing Robert Washington, his best friend and the captain of the Hazelwood High Tigers. It was late, and they'd been drinking, and now, months later, Andy can't stop blaming himself. As he turns away from family, friends, and even his girlfriend, he finds he's losing the most precious thing of all -- his ability to face the future.

Happy-go-lucky teenage boys, play basketball and party; figure out how fast all that can change. Andrew(also known as Andy) Jackson, a basketball player who has his license, and his girlfriend Keisha, have been going steady for a few months. Andy's friends Robbie Washington, B.J. Carson, and Tyrone Mills, all go to the Hazelwood High School together, and have been friends for years. Robbie, Tyrone and Andy are party animals, while B.J. is more down-to-earth and passive. One night the boys decide to get a six-pack and have one of their usual "late-night rituals" together. Andy is the driver and has been drinking, and Robbie has his feet up, dangerously on the dashboard. Carelessly drunk and still driving, the boys head out on the highway, where later they hit a wall and helplessly watch Robbie burn to death in the car. There was nothing the boys could do to get him out of the car, but Andy still blames himself, because he was driving. Andy goes deeper, and deeper into depression, and loses his girlfriend Keisha through his anger and crying. He even sees a counselor, and his friends think he is fine. All that smile and charm is hidden behind a crying mask, and his friends can't reach out to help him. But even a counselor couldn't help his friends through the tragedy they were going to face....in the future. Sharon M. Draper has put together many books like this one, to help young adults through problems that they will face, in their teen years. The book, she hopes, will teach young readers to deal with their problems and to stay away from drugs, alcohol, and suicide. This book is a mix of drama, action, and slight horror. The book was worth the reading, and if you like books that make you cry, you can guarantee this one! It was put together in a conversational form, which was difficult to follow in the beginning, but you will catch up soon, and it just gets better and better. If you ever come across this book, be sure to read it; it may change your life.


Jay Horne's Review on Tears of a Tiger   February 13, 2000
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

Tears of a Tiger is a book about a 17 -year-old boy named Andy,who is having a lot of trouble getting over the death of his best friend,Rob. After winning big at a school basketball game,they choose to celebrate it the wrong way,drinking and driving.

Andy's friends,who were also involved in the accident,tried to help Andy cope with this devestating,unfortunate accident. Though as time rolls on,Andy is secretly taking the incident harder than anyone could imagine.

Things really start to turn sour when Andy's girlfriend,Kiesha,breakes up with him. As far as Andy is concerned,Kiesha is the only person that he could really turn to. So you could problably speculate how Andy felt when that happened.

I did not enjoy this book in some ways.I am mainly speaking of the fact that nearly everything had a downside. That really makes you think though,because when you look at life,you see that there is a flaw in everything. That is what makes this book really have alot of the reality in it.

Even though,for the most part, I really did enjoy this book,and recommend it for anyone who likes books that have alot of reality hooked up in them. Because,if you really think about it,anyone could end up in the position that Andy,his friends,his family,and his school wre placed in.

I would definately rate this book five stars,for the way that it touches your heart,and the way it tells everyone who reads it,to never,in any situation drink and drive.Not only are you mentally unstable,but you can cause so many others so much pain in one solitary split second.


What I've Been Saying All Along   June 1, 2006
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

When publishing my own book, I heard repeatedly that young African-Americans do not read but I think that's a lie. If more books came out that they could relate to, especially for boys, then the percentage of readers would change.
When I initially got this book, I looked at how it was written and became concerned about the style. Everything is all dialogue--and as much as I like dialogue, I thought maybe the author was pushing it too much. Wrong! I realized quickly that if the dialogue is informative enough, it will make a reader feel like they're being told the story in a conversational manner...and in a different manner at that.
This book was outstanding. I love realistic views of how teenagers REALLY act, feel, talk, and relate to other peers. Ofcourse not every teenager runs into a drunk driving issue, a suicidal peer, or parent abandonment...but even those who don't can probably relate to this book. Draper did not ONLY concentrate on a boy's feelings after his friend died in his car, but also on the relationship between young lovers, parenthood, a teacher/coach relationship with his/her students, and how peer pressure affects students in general. I am so impressed and definitely glad that Amazon.com recommended this book to me. Great job, Sharon! Absolutely great job!


The best book ever   July 5, 2004
 4 out of 5 found this review helpful

Sharon M. Draper's Tears of a Tiger is the story of an unraveling black teenager who goes through a lot of pain, stress, and trauma. Sharon M. Draper writes in such a way that her literature literally brings tears to your eyes. This book describes bonds between friendship and love in a spectacular way. Tears of a Tiger presents the readers with lessons about drunk-driving and love.
17-year-old Andy Jackson discovers a world of depression when he and three other friends live a fatal car-accident. Andy, Rob, Tyrone and B.J. are four friends who celebrate after success in a high-school basketball game. All except B.J. drink during their ride on the car, even the driver, Andy. The likely conclusion that would occur happened, Andy crashed the car. All survived but Rob.
After Rob's death, Andy starts to go into a world of his own where he faces a lot of problems. He feels that Rob's death was his fault because he caused the car to crash. Without Andy, Rob wouldn't have been dead. That's not Andy's only problem. Andy's been having a lot of problems with his girlfriend. Andy's girlfriend, Keisha doesn't seem to like the fact that Andy has been in his own world. Lately she has noticed that Andy ignores her and starts being more and more of a pain. After they break up something terrible happens. If you read the book you'll find out.
This book was written in such a way that it was hard to put down. The author's style made you want to keep on reading. Each chapter was very unique. There were chapters that were newspaper articles and also phone conversations. By reading this book, I thought the author was a very creative person.
Tears of a Tiger is one of those books that the reader can generate a lot of thought. This book is filled with connection to the real world. This book shows the reader the consequences of drunk driving. Many teens can relate to this book, and that's what makes this book fun to read.
All and all, this was a very satisfying book. One downside may be that the author uses too much dialogue, other than that it's perfect. I would definitely recommend this book to adults and young adults. The ending left me hanging and wondering a lot about what was going on in Andy's head. I was thinking about all those people whose lives were ruined by drunk-drinking. This book left me thinking about how well the author constructed the narrative and how the situation was so realistic. This is one of those books which a reader can not put down because of its superior quality.