The Cay

By: Theodore Taylor


All his life Phillip had looked down at black people. Now he's left blind, stranded on an island after a major ship wreck, with a West Indian named Timothy. As you read this book you'll see how Phillip changes and becomes open to different sorts of people. He learns not to judge people, before he gets to know them.

Set in the 1940's in Curacao, Phillip and Timothy are stranded on a cay near devils mouth. Devils mouth is a very hard area for any ships to sail into because it's very narrow and there is a ton of underwater corral reefs. And through out the book Timothy knew this, being a native islander. Phillip how ever, did not. Throughout the book Timothy teaches Phillip how to survive incase he dies. With Phillip being blind it made it especially hard. This I think showed Phillip that Timothy really did care about him and Phillip started seeing Timothy not as an ugly black man, but more as a friend who cared.

I think the big part of the story, where Phillip really and truly accepts Timothy for who he was, was during the hurricane. After it was over Phillip realized that Timothy had saved his life, and took his own. He had to survive 3 weeks alone on the island, and without all the help from Timothy he would have never made it, and Phillip knew that.

This book really teaches you to value the ones you have, no matter there race. Because when you need that someone they will be there for you too.