Essay: The Pact book review

This book tells the story of three young black men; Jenkins, David and Hunt. The story is told alternating between the three of them. Although the book is memoir, it is a good motivational book, which has a nice agenda. They grew in the crime-filled neighborhood of Newark. They went to the same high school in the 80s.The three were not happy with the way their families were; parents who were abusing drugs, poverty and crime in every corner of the street. They made a pact that they would study hard so that they could attend the same medical school in order for their lives to take a different direction from the one of their parents.” We didn’t lock hands in some kind of empty, symbolic gesture’ (Jenkins, Davis and Hunt 23).This decision influences their lives positively since they develop friendly competition between them, which propels them toward their goal. Although the road to their success was hard, they attributed it to supporting each other through the way, avoiding negative company and surrounding themselves with individuals who shared the same vision as them. They have faced negative setbacks like jail time but they were still determined to better their lives.
Deborah Duckworth author of The Significance of Grit tells that individuals who have a high measure of grit make decisions about what they want and follow their dreams. They do not let anything deter them from their primary goal. This is the same in the case as what Jenkins, Davis and Hunt went through. Although the sounds of gunshots and brake screeches of cars were the routine of their lives in their neighborhoods, they do not let themselves be discouraged. “The sounds of gunshots and screeching cars late at night and before dawn were as familiar to us as the chirping of insects is must be to the people who live in the country.” (Jenkins, Davis and Hunt 20).Although they were discouraged along the way and the three almost gave up, they pushed themselves and always maximized their time in order to get the most out of it. They did so without the examples of male role models whom they could emulate. Their sole goal was to become doctors.They wanted to graduate high school as the best so that they could get into medical school. The group of people like them who are ambitious and would follow their dreams without looking back are describe as having both grit and talent since they would not settle for less.(Duckworth 17).
The three graduated high school and secured a scholarship to attend Seton Hall University. However, the process of securing a scholarship was not easy. There were many hurdles in their way which fortunately they passed. The process was tedious and they were also being singled out because of their race. Most of the white kids were given scholarships instead of them and they had to prove themselves a thousand times over in order for them to be shortlisted. Just like Mike Rose in “I Just Wanna be Average’, the trio created a defense mechanism that helped  them to deal with the frustrations and insults that came with them pursuing their dreams. They grew an outer shell which helped them to ignore the taunts and sarcasms from the other kids. This was not easy since the school they were attending was full of kids from mixed races and different backgrounds and they were the black ones who were sticking out like sore thumbs for pursuing their dreams openly. Remember that this was in the mid-80s when racism was at its peak. They were also stereotyped since most kids from the lower social class were made to believe that they could not achieve their dreams. They also imitated the fixed mindset that others have put in place for them. Teachers always bypassed them since they did not consider them as education worthy material.
When the trio arrived at Seton Hall University, they were shocked to be greeted by mediocrity and racism. Most of their classmates did not treat them as equals although they had worked equally as hard to be there and this prompted them to start becoming discouraged. They adopted a fixed mindset. Carol Dweck, the author of Brainology, says that a fixed thought is where individuals believe that intelligence is static and set. Difficult tasks can only be achieved through an intelligent mind and if they believe that they do not have enough of it, the task cannot be accomplished. However, this is not the case since the growth mindset states that intelligence is a potential which is cultivated through learning. The amount of effort put into any task would determine the outcomes and also overcoming difficulties was also part of the task. Similar to Mike Rose, they experienced classes which they did not like since they were being unmotivated so much by others. They started falling behind in their classes.
The trio contemplated about dropping out of college since many factors were against them. They were tired of being discriminated upon and having to endure mediocrity from fellow students and the teachers themselves. They were also tired of failing in their classes. However their guidance counselor, Carla Dickson managed to discourage them. She pointed out to them how far they had come in order to be in college and how privileged they were to have such an opportunity since it was not everyday young black men were seen to excel in something. It would also prove all the other people right who made fun of them in high school who told them they would amount to nothing in life. They had come this far without any male role models in their path and it would be a waste of their youth if they were to give up now. She also encouraged them by saying that if they returned home, they would be swallowed by the life of drugs and crime. They agreed to continue with medical school and adopt new ways to face their obstacles. One way was by finding new reading habits. They coupled together with other black students while studying in order to minimize the rate at which they were experiencing racism. Another way was by taking on a growth mindset which gave them the motivation to work hard since they knew that their hard work would not go unrewarded. The fixed mindset that they were forced to adopt in high school proved to be wrong since it is the growth mindset that showed them that anybody can excel in their studies if they put enough hard work into it. They also experimented with various learning styles until they found the one that made their grades stop falling. They worked extra hard in order to catch up with their fellow classmates and put their dreams back on track.
This trio studied to become doctors as they had initially planned. Hunt and Davis went on to medical school while Jenkins went to dental school. Jenkins says, ‘Sometimes it felt surreal, walking past the drunks, dealers, and addicts on my way home from dental school with a pile of books.’ (Jenkins et al. 50).during their college period, they started a mentoring program named Ujima. They offered other students the opportunities of increasing their chance for success in academia by attaining an employment opportunities in the campus area. Their supervisors acted as their mentors. Their mentors were picked by matching the students at the beginning of the school year. The students of the Ujima Association also met two times in a month in order to build friendships, sharpen their leadership skills, and create a community and to have fun socially. This helped the students to feel like they were valued.
It is not in everyday life that kids can make resolutions about their future and stick to them. Nowadays, the goals that children set involve something illegal like shoplifting or doing drugs. Jenkins, Hurt and Davis were special since they had the determination and grit to go for what they wanted. They had to undergo mental and emotional development. Although they came from poor backgrounds, this does not dictate them and they are wise enough to acquire jobs while in campus so that they could have the money to meet their daily requirements. It is also encouraging to see that someone believed in their cause and was willing to put them back on the right course when they derailed a bit. The story of the pact shows that anybody with determination would go the extra miles of creating goals in order to reach their dreams.
Overall, this is a great story, which shows how powerful the right kind of friendship can be. It shows that anybody can beat the odds. It does not matter where we are born, we can change where our future would be. I think that this is a nice story that every male teen should read in order to be challenged. In addition, resources should not be a determinant of how our future should be. Nowadays, people have put too much value into money and material things and they think that without these in their family, they themselves cannot succeed. It is nice to see that they did not rely o their parents to cultivate a path for them so that they could follow it. They put their own destinies in their own hands. All the three of them came from poor backgrounds and they still went ahead to become doctors. Whether in school or in life, I think that we should always surround ourselves with the right company so that we can achieve our dreams. Teenagers have surrounded themselves with the wrong company on too many occasions and this book might help them to pinpoint the qualities that they should look for in good friends.