From Goodreads:
The summer of 1963
begins like any other for nine-year-old Starla Claudelle. Born to
teenage parents in Mississippi, Starla is being raised by a strict
paternal grandmother, Mamie, whose worst fear is that Starla will turn
out like her mother. Starla hasn’t seen her momma since she was three,
but is convinced that her mother will keep her promise to take Starla
and her daddy to Nashville, where her mother hopes to become a famous
singer—and that one day her family will be whole and perfect.
When Starla is grounded on the Fourth of July, she sneaks out to see the parade. After getting caught, Starla’s fear that Mamie will make good on her threats and send her to reform school cause her to panic and run away from home. Once out in the country, Starla is offered a ride by a black woman, Eula, who is traveling with a white baby. She happily accepts a ride, with the ultimate goal of reaching her mother in Nashville.
As the two unlikely companions make their long and sometimes dangerous journey, Starla’s eyes are opened to the harsh realities of 1963 southern segregation. Through talks with Eula, reconnecting with her parents, and encountering a series of surprising misadventures, Starla learns to let go of long-held dreams and realizes family is forged from those who will sacrifice all for you, no matter if bound by blood or by the heart.
When Starla is grounded on the Fourth of July, she sneaks out to see the parade. After getting caught, Starla’s fear that Mamie will make good on her threats and send her to reform school cause her to panic and run away from home. Once out in the country, Starla is offered a ride by a black woman, Eula, who is traveling with a white baby. She happily accepts a ride, with the ultimate goal of reaching her mother in Nashville.
As the two unlikely companions make their long and sometimes dangerous journey, Starla’s eyes are opened to the harsh realities of 1963 southern segregation. Through talks with Eula, reconnecting with her parents, and encountering a series of surprising misadventures, Starla learns to let go of long-held dreams and realizes family is forged from those who will sacrifice all for you, no matter if bound by blood or by the heart.
From Me:
3.5 stars.
I liked it very much.
I love coming of age books...especially set in the south...especially set in the 1960's.
Told thru the eyes of 9 year old, Starla, one can truly see the injustice of racism and segregation.
Starla was a spitfire. She was a fun little character to ride the journey with. Altho, sometimes I wanted to stop her from being her 9-year old, impetuous self. But then the book wouldn't have had any conflict.
Okay, so every coming of age book that is set in the south...especially in the 1960's, and told thru the eyes of a child is a little bit predictable, doesn't mean it's not a good thing to read about again.
It is because we should all see that injustice all the time! Still!
I think if you liked The Secret Life of Bees, you'll like this one too.
1 comment:
Yeah, everyone pretty much knows what happened in the south in the 60s but that doesn't mean I don't like to read about it. This sounds good!
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