Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie Literary Essay Response

 

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick is a story about a young boy in middle school named Steven Alper. As the story progresses, Steven is told that his younger brother, Jeffery, was diagnosed with cancer. At first it was hard for Steven to accept the horrible truth, and for a while he sulks and just drowns in his own sorrow. But eventually throughout the book Steven matures by making personal sacrifices for his brother's benefit, instead of thinking about himself.

 

Steven notices that all the medical bills for Jeffery's therapy are starting to negatively affect his family, and he steps up to the challenge. He decides to give up his precious drum lessons, which he realizes are an unnecessary expense. He sees how he needs to become a man for his family and help them, so he willingly sacrifices something he really loves.

 

Another example was when Steven shaved his head. When Jeffery started losing his hair, and a boy in his class called him "bald" it really upset him. To stop Jeffery from feeling insecure, Steven shaved off all of his hair, so Jeffery wouldn't have to be the only bald one. This shows how much Steven cares for his brother, and how he would change how he looked in order to make his brother feel better.

 

Steven has always been very passionate about drumming, and when he has a huge performance with a long solo, Jeffery gets a fever. Steven has the choice to continue his concert, or to leave with Jeffery. Steven gives up his big moment to shine, and leaves with his brother so he wouldn't have to be alone in the hospital. This shows that Steven would even give up a life changing moment to be there for his brother.

 

By making all of these sacrifices for his brother, Steven matures and becomes a true adult at the end of the book. Although we may not experience something as terrifying as cancer, we all find our own ways to mature, just like Steven.