The Pact

The Pact:

Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream

Bibliographical Information:

The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream

Drs. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt with Lisa Frazier Page

Published in 2002

New York, NY 10014

Riverhead Books

248

ISBN 1-57322-216-X

Background Information:

Drs. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins and Rameck Hunt were a group of childhood friends. They all grew up in the rough neighborhoods of Newark, New Jersey. Without a father and many without even a positive black man they could inspire to be. They all met at a junior high/high school were they came together and made a pact that no matter what obstacles came about, they would all stick together and become doctors.

Rameck and Sam became doctors and George became a dentist, but always felt like they needed to help black people more than just becoming doctors. "All my life I had been taught that black folks have a responsibility to help one another out". (132) Even while still in college, they start a group called Ujima which meaning is "collective work and responsibility." Ujima was started so that the three guys could go to elementary school similar to the ones they went to; to tutor the student and talk about college life. After becoming doctors, when college and medical school were over for them, they started the foundation Three Doctor Foundation were they provided health awareness, mentoring and scholarship money to inner-city students.

Classification of the Kind of Book:

The Pact is a non-fiction book. It follows the real life events in the lives of its three authors, Drs. George Jenkins, Sampson Davis and Rameck Hunt. It tells first hand what these men went through, so it would be considered an autobiography. The book is written in an informative manner because its readers are learning how the authors set their goals and continuously pursued them. "They are an inspiration to young people..." declared Bill Clinton, which will make this book an important part of history for some.

Classification of the Author's Intention:

This book was written for adolescences and teenagers whose lives are headed in the wrong direction (i.e. gang-banging, selling drugs, and dropping out of school). These three men want to encourage their readers to get an education beyond high school and not become the stereotypical uneducated, thugs that they and everyone else were sure they, themselves, would become. They said, "They are young brothers, often drug dealers, gang members, or small-time criminals...we see ourselves as teenagers, we see our friends, we see what we easily could have become as young adults". (pg. 1)

Drs. Davis, Jenkins and Hunt all struggled financially in their early life, but they were rich with support from family and especially friends. They wrote this book also for those who did not have that. "Our hearts are still with the families and friends who didn't have the opportunities, the friendships, or maybe even the crazy dreams that were somehow given to us- those who are still struggling every day to survive. They are the reason we wrote this book". (pg.239)

Subject and Thesis Statement:

The subject of the Pact is overcoming life's obstacles to make something productive out of yourself for your community. That having a group of good, quality friends can help guide you into the right path. Davis, Jenkins and Hunt all had different events that almost caused them to give up on their goals, but they clung to each other for support. "We had been inseparable for all four years of college". (pg.181) The authors also understood that there are very few inspirational men in the black communities for younger black males to look up to. "As a teenager, I lacked the one person in my life who could have made a difference- a male mentor, a respectable father figure..." (pg.138)

A great thesis for this book was written in its introduction. It states, "The lives of most impressionable young people are defined by their friends, whether they are black, white, Hispanic or Asian; whether they are rich, poor, or middle-class; whether they live in the city, suburbs, or country... We know firsthand that the wrong friends can lead you to trouble. But even more, they can tear down your hopes, dreams and possibilities. We know, too, that the right friends inspire you, pull you through, rise with you."

Less than thirty percent of African American males in the New York high school system graduate with an actual Diploma. The three authors knew that they could have easily been apart of that percent if they were not fortunate enough to have each other to "lean on". "We could not do this if we didn't have the support of each other" (126) they encourage the younger generation to find those friends that will be there for you with a common goal that can achieve together.

Analysis of Structure:

This was a very organized and easy to follow along with story of these future doctors lives. In the beginning, the authors told the readers about their childhoods and how they came to know each other. The book was constantly going back and forth from George, Rameck and Sam so that the reader could see what one boy was going through while the other was simultaneously dealing with a different, but still similar, situation. Then the middle of the book was dedicated to the college life of the three future doctors. The headings in this portion of the book were so intriguing, that it lured the reader into life of these best friends.

First person story telling made the audience feel like they were struggling in college and medical school with them. At the end the doctors gave some insight into what they did after they got their degree. This was really good because many books tend to stop the story before telling its readers how the lives of its characters were going. The Epilogue at the end of the story also helped to inform the reason for the book.

Summary of Content:

Three black boys grew up in the ghetto neighborhoods of Newark, New Jersey. Those streets were highly influenced