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Content snapshot
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Violence
Barely any
WWII violence — the torpedoing of a ship; some danger on the island
Language
None
No profanity
Sexual Content
None
No sexual content
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Some
Moderate emotional weight: a boy's blindness, his separation from his parents, and the racism he must confront in himself
What this book is about
When eleven-year-old Philip Enright's ship is torpedoed during WWII, he finds himself stranded on a tiny Caribbean island with Timothy, an old Black West Indian man. Blinded in the shipwreck, Philip must overcome the racial prejudice he was raised with to survive — and to recognize in Timothy someone worth knowing. Theodore Taylor's 1969 classic is about survival, friendship, and the process of a child unlearning racism through genuine human connection.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
WWII context and shipwreck danger
Racial prejudice as a central theme — a child unlearning what he was taught
Reader Verification
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