| Booktalk
#1
Mississippi
in the depression was tough on Blacks. One family who owned their own 400
acres tells us their story in the book. We are with Cassie, the young girl
who learns for the first time that she doesn't get the same respect as
the
white neighbors. We watch Stacey, the oldest son, begin to get wise to
his friend TJ's tricks and deceits. This story of a family struggling against
the odds of beating a system that clearly gives advantage to the whites,
is a good way to get a feeling of how injustices are corrected and how
much personal conviction is needed to keep up the fight.
Booktalk
#2
This
is the story of the Logan family. They are fighting to stay together
and to stay strong in the face of racist attacks, illness, and poverty
in the 1930's South. As a poor black family, they see the ugly side
of Southern living. The tale is told through the eyes of fourth grader
Cassie Logan. Cassie is young enough not to understand much of the
social injustice. She is constantly questioning the chasm between
blacks and whites. Through her eyes, we come to understand the day
to day existence of the family. Fortunately for Cassie and her brothers,
they have a strong, loving family that can pull together in troubled times.
Spend time with Cassie as she learns how to survive in a place that isn't
always fair.
Booktalk
#3
Cassie
lives in a little community near the town of Strawberry. Her family makes
a living from their cotton crops and working their land. She has three
brothers, a mother, a father, and a grandmother. Her father works on railroads.
Stacy, little man and Christopher John all go to a black school and have
to walk for a couple of miles to even get to school. There were significant
racial issues present. The white students bus rides by them every day and
splashes mud on them from its tires and the white children make faces and
call them names. Their mother is a school teacher and ends up getting fired
because she teaches her class things from her own life experience. Will
this hard-working family be able to get past these hard times of little
money, no respect and house burnings? Only in this book will you find out.
(Angelica Donald, student, Mansfield High School) |
