An uplifting story of personal sacrifice amid historical significance.
Grisanti’s novel combines history, family heritage and love to present the poignant tale of a young African-American woman’s struggle for civil rights.
It’s 1967, and Ruth Yuell is being treated in a Chicago emergency room after police officers invaded a peaceful demonstration she was attending. While waiting for medical treatment, Ruth recounts the story of her life to her white friend, Norma, a journalist, with the plot flashing back to 1939 for Ruth’s birth in St. Louis. Ruth’s father was a respected doctor in the community, yet he couldn’t afford for his wife to give birth in a hospital. So begins Ruth’s childhood and part of her eventual inspiration to join the cause of nonviolent social justice. Grisanti’s writing style flows well but provides scant physical description of characters, and the plot unfolds slowly, with occasional commentary reading like a textbook instead of a novel. For example, while discussing the church’s role in the African-American community, Ruth states: “In the pre-Civil Rights era the church was both a place to worship and a town hall of sorts to get community work done. Truth was there was no representative government for most Negroes. In the South especially, the church was the only place where Negroes could really gather in large numbers on a consistent basis to meet each other at all.” Grisanti’s more memorable scenes show the horror of racism: When teenage Ruth goes out for a drive with friends and while they’re changing a flat tire, white police officers accost them. Police leave Ruth’s pregnant friend lying on the ground in the middle of her miscarriage. Eventually, Ruth enters an integrated college up north where she isn’t harassed or threatened, although she encounters more racism and ultimately goes south to help with the civil rights cause. The strength of the book is in Ruth: Like the biblical Ruth, Grisanti’s heroine is devout and hardworking; she remains brave in the face of hardship. While trying to stop her fiancé’s sister from having sex with an evil man, Ruth is raped by the same man. He’s shot and killed, and Ruth takes the blame in court to save the reputation of her fiancé’s sister. Although the love story aspect can feel a bit contrived, readers will enjoy the sweetness of Ruth’s final revelation.
An uplifting story of personal sacrifice amid historical significance.Pub Date: March 19, 2012
ISBN: 978-0970886019
Page Count: 348
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
