ABSTRACT
Lounging gracefully in front of the battered, massive facade of the Ryan, Anthony Dobson at seventeen is the epitome of teenage, street-wise, hustler cool. Taller, older than his classmates, Anthony is proud and "clean"—well-manicured, neat, with a keen sense for the multiple elegances of the contemporary scene. He is an important figure at the Ryan: president of the student council, "most popular boy," handy with a basketball or a pocket full of reefers, respected, if not always liked, by his teachers. Anthony's facade, unlike the Ryan's, is flawless. Anthony has always found schoolwork difficult. When his mother moved the family North, he was made to repeat first grade, and a combination of reading problems and illness forced him to spend two years in the third grade as well. His memories of elementary school are unpleasant. He recalls hating to read "because to his it seemed silly".
