The book then flashes forward to months later, as Andy is dealing with the fallout.

They try to pull open the door but nothing works, and Robbie dies in the car. He’s trapped inside as the door jams, and he yells for his friends to help him out. Andy and his friends BJ and Tyrone make it out of the car, but their friend Robbie doesn’t. He’s not, and the car slams into a wall soon afterwards. The boys have a couple of beers before they head out, but Andy feels okay to drive. Andy is one of the stars of the team, and is considered to have a bright future. The story opens with Andy and a group of his friends celebrating after winning their high school basketball game. Draper’s debut novel, it was awarded the Josh Steptoe New Talent Award in 1995. Exploring themes of guilt, regret, atonement, and the impact that deaths have on those left behind, Tears of a Tiger is still a popular reading choice for high school students. Told through a partially epistolary format, including journal entries and newspaper articles, the novel is critically acclaimed for its unflinching portrayal of teenage life and for tackling hard issues including drunk driving and teen suicide. T ears of a Tiger focuses on a seventeen-year-old African-American boy named Andy, who is dealing with the consequences of a drunk driving accident that claimed the life of his best friend. Focusing on African-American students at Hazelwood High School, it is the first of the Hazelwood Trilogy, a series of interconnected books following the students as they face tough issues and work towards graduation.

Tears of a Tiger is a 1994 teen novel by American author Sharon M.

Tears of a Tiger by Sharon M. Draper