Jervey Tervalon - 1958
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San Pedro High School in San Pedro, California
When interviewed, he said, "I'm trying to create a body of work focused on black life in south Los Angeles—and the United States." His work focuses on the black Los Angeles area without all of the entertainment hype. His talent allows him to express the unfortunate truth of life today.
Jervey Tervalon was born in New Orleans, LA, October 23, 1958. His family moved to Los Angeles, CA when he was a young boy. Tervalon is the son of Hillary, a postal worker, and Lolita, a retired keypunch operator. Both of his parents supported his education, encouraging him to read and attend college when the time came. Much of Tervalon's writing is based upon by his experiences as a both a young boy and a teacher in Los Angeles.
I. Biography
Jervey Tervalon was raised in Central Los Angeles. Much of his inspiration for writing came from his adult years as a teacher and teenage years as a troubled student. He attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he received his BA in 1980. After receiving his bachelor's degree, he went to teach English at Locke High School, a disadvantaged school in Los Angeles. There as a teacher, he saw things that touched him deeply. He was greatly affected by the murder of a good student who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Tervalon left teaching high school to return to continue his education in pursuit of a degree in creative writing. At the University of California, Irvine, his book, later titled Understand This, served as his master's thesis and was published in 1994. Understand This, his first novel, received the 1994 New Voices Award for the Quality Paperback Club.
Tervalon has also taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara (literature, 1992-96) and St. Mary's College (instructor, 1996) in Moraga, CA. Currently, he is teaching writing and literature courses at Cal State LA. He recently came out with his second novel, Living for the City, which can be read as a companion to Understand This. Tervalon now lives in Pasadena, CA with his wife, Gina, and daughter, Giselle. He expects to publish another novel next year.
II. Literary Works
Understand This is loosely based upon Tervalon's experiences as a teacher and teenager wrapped up in the slums of Los Angeles. Eight different narrators tell the story, the most important being Francois. The novel begins with the murder of Doug, who is shot and killed by his drug-addict girlfriend. Throughout the novel, each character presents the effects of the murder. The narrators include Francois, Doug's best friend who is searching for his role in life; Margot, Francois' girlfriend, who has potential for being one of the fortunate few to leave Los Angeles; Ann, Francois' mother, whose fear tempts her to move away from Los Angeles and live a safer life; Ollie, Doug's brother, who quickly follows Doug's footsteps; Rika, Doug's pregnant girlfriend; and the killer, Tommy, Francois' business partner; and Michaels, a high school teacher approaching marriage and a mental collapse from the students who desperately need him. Understand This deals with devastating issues such as drugs, sex, and violence and their influence on expressions of anger and love in relationships.
III. Los Angeles, California and Jervey Tervalon
Tervalon's childhood and teaching career in Los Angeles are influential and represented in his writings. These are just a few of the places Tervalon mentions in Understand This.
Forest Lawn: The cemetery where Doug is buried is located at (Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills) 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, LA 90068.
Dorsey: The location where Rika's Uncle Jack plays tennis is referring to Dorsey High School, home of the Dons, at Farmdale Ave. and Rodeo Rd.
LAX: LAX stands for Los Angeles International airport. It is the biggest and busiest airports in the South bay. World Way, Westchester 90045
Imperial to the Harbor: Francois uses this phrase as he drives to Santa Barbara with Tommy. It refers to the Imperial Hwy. and the 110 Harbor freeway which runs from San Pedro through the heart of Downtown LA, to Pasadena.
King: When Ann, Francois' mother, visits Rika, she says that she should take her to "King," referring to LA Co King-Drew Medical Center located on Wilmington Ave.
University of California, Santa Cruz: Margot briefly visits UCSC, her possible future. Opened in 1965, the public institution offers programs in the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. The 2000-acre campus is in the small town of Santa Cruz, 50 miles North of Monterey and 75 miles South of San Francisco.
Santa Barbara: Francois and Tommy travel together to Santa Barbara for a business endeavor. This popular, coastal city rests on a narrow shelf between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Its scenic approach is by the US 101. Santa Barbara's heritage is obvious in its many whitewashed, tile-roofed buildings and Spanish street names. Some of the sites Santa Barbara is known for are the Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens, Mission Santa Barbara, and Stearns Wharf.
Other places: Throughout the novel, many places are mentioned such as Baldwin Hills, Hollywood Hills, and Compton. These cities are on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Some of the streets mentioned are:
Adams Blvd.: This street runs parallel to the Santa Monica, 10 Freeway, through Mt. Saint Mary's College
Hillcrest Drive and Don Diablo Drive: These streets intersect on the 4200 block of Crenshaw, CA, just West of the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw Plaza.
Martin Luther King Blvd.: MLK Blvd. runs beside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, location of the 1984 Summer Olympics, and East-West between Rodeo Road and Central Ave.
IV. Literary Works
Understand This (1994)
Living for the City (1999)
V. Questions for Jervey Tervalon
I was able to contact Jervey via E-mail.
>If it wouldn't be an inconvenience to you, I have a few questions to ask regarding your novel to help improve the quality of my project.
JT: It was very flattering receiving your E-mail. Check out the Barnesandnoble.com website and the Amazon.com website. I wrote something about my books on one of them.
>It is obvious that the plot isn't purely fiction so, how does the plot connect with you? Are there any personal experiences which sparked the motivation for an event or character?
JT: Understand This was based on my experiences teaching at Locke High School in LA and some of my childhood.
>Did you have any specific intentions or messages you transcended through Understand This?
JT: My message is pretty much the last paragraph or two of the book. —"It's so much harder for them now than it was for me. At least I had the luxury of being naïve about love. But they don't have it. If they don't want to be ground down to nothing, which is the flavor of the times, they must understand everything."
>I know that you teach a writing course at St. Mary's College, but are you currently working on any new pieces? If so, can you give me a little preview?
JT: "Currently I teach writing and lit at Cal State LA. I have a new book out called Living for the City and I have another coming out next year."
VI. Sources
AAA, Tourbook: California, Nevada
, 1/2000 Edition
Barron's: Profiles of American Colleges, 20th Edition
"Jervey Tervalon" Barnesandnoble.com
Tervalon, Jervey – via E-mail
1999 Thomas Guide: Los Angeles/Orange Counties
This essay was submitted a student of Grant Farley, a teacher at San Pedro High School in San Pedro, California.