Brother is a book that explores race, family issues, and identity of a person. The story is set in the summer of 1991, in Scarborough (Toronto), and is about how two brothers named Michael and Francis lived in a small apartment with their mother. Michael is the younger brother of Francis, and he is also the storyteller. The plot is set in both the present and the past, as the story continues to go on. 

Personally, I didn't like the book as much because it was full of violence and had the n word mentioned multiple times. Mainly the swear words would pop up once in a while, which didn't bother me as much as the usage of racial slurs and inequality actions. As a grade 9 student, it was shocking to know that these kinds of books are allowed in freshman years. If I were to be in older grades, for example grade 10 or 11, I would understand the context of my teachers giving me this book to read. 

In my final opinion, if you don't mind all of the language usage, and how the plot is structured, you can go ahead and read it.