In chapter 19 of Basketball Jones, AJ has a really relaxing time at his mother’s. Intrigued? It’s time for Kingett to read Basketball Jones.
I think that it’s really good to stop and just take beaks on everything, and thank goodness the author agrees with me in this chapter because AJ goes to see his family in Raleigh, North Carolina. AJ needs this weekend away. A lot has happened to him, and a lot has happened to Dray as well, though the person behind this is targeting AJ more than Dray now… interesting. I still believe it is Cisco who is partnering with someone, but I will hold my judgments for later chapters because this chapter is not supposed to be speculative and/or pondering. It’s gentle, quiet, funny, and lighthearted. The reader isn’t supposed to dwell on things that have happened in the past, but the reader is supposed to just enjoy the time away from the plot.
The chapter is supposed to be a respite to all the drama and stuff that has been happening. It doesn’t show us anything new, other than AJ’s family. I can tell that this is the first time we will see them, and then we will not see them again. Possibly. That’s just what I believe because the chapter centralizes on telling the readers about the new characters as much as possible by way of showing us how they think and how they perceive the world through dialogue. AJ’s mom is very strong willed, his younger sister is precocious, and the family rests on their own cloud of comfort. They are not well to do, as evidenced by the shabby house that his mom lives in, with faded paint and all, but they make do and have been making do for years. This brings AJ into a clearer perspective. This family is honest and very hard working, with their hopes and dreams and desires out there for others to see and know. They don’t apologize for their lack of money nor do they constantly wish they had more. The family knows how to make do with what they have, and work harder in order to get even more things. There isn’t anything revealing about his mom, other than some of his traits stem from her bold behavior. His sister is a very precocious person at 13 years old. She aims to be the best dancer she can be.
I really don’t have anything to say about this chapter because nothing happens that advances the plot at all. It’s a break from the action and allows us to dive into a time of love, laughter, hopes and dreams, as well as into a comforting place. I know that the next chapter will be vastly different, filled with action since this chapter is so calm, cool, and relaxed in all things, including the dialogue and interactions.
I am really glad that AJ was able to get away for a bit because he needs it a lot more than he knows, but I can’t help wondering what awaits him when he returns. What will happen in the next chapter involving AJ and Dray since this chapter was so fun and so light? I will find out next week!