Craig Silvey's Jasper Jones is recognized as a murder mystery, but it depicts so much more. Its gripping plot about a 13-year-old boy coming of age in a small town has many underlying themes that are still present in today's society. In fact, the plot fuels the themes and showcases them throughout the book. Themes such as racism, hypocrisy, secrets, identity and bullying are constantly glimpsed in Jasper Jones. Racism is present in Jasper Jones in general towards characters like Jasper Jones and Jeffery Lu. Jeffery Lu's family was insulted and tortured due to the Vietnam War draft and the firing of coal mine employees. Jeffery is also shunned by his cricket club, even though he is a talented individual. He gets called names like "Cong" and "C**t Eyes" and is laughed at, no matter how well he does. This is also similar to Jasper, as explained on page 60, “See, I always thought that in the end there would be a kind of grudging respect for Jeffery's talent. The same goes for Jasper. ... He never trains, he doesn't listen to the coach, no ...