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Glory Be
A Mississippi town in 1964 gets riled when tempers flare at the segregated public pool.
As much as Gloriana June Hemphill, or Glory as everyone knows her, wants to turn twelve, there are times when Glory wishes she could turn back the clock a year. Jesslyn, her sister and former confidante, no longer has the time of day for her now that she’ll be entering high school. Then there’s her best friend, Frankie. Things have always been so easy with Frankie, and now suddenly they aren’t. Maybe it’s the new girl from the North that’s got everyone out of sorts. Or maybe it’s the debate about whether or not the town should keep the segregated public pool open.
Augusta Scattergood has drawn on real-life events to create a memorable novel about family, friendship, and choices that aren’t always easy.
As much as Gloriana June Hemphill, or Glory as everyone knows her, wants to turn twelve, there are times when Glory wishes she could turn back the clock a year. Jesslyn, her sister and former confidante, no longer has the time of day for her now that she’ll be entering high school. Then there’s her best friend, Frankie. Things have always been so easy with Frankie, and now suddenly they aren’t. Maybe it’s the new girl from the North that’s got everyone out of sorts. Or maybe it’s the debate about whether or not the town should keep the segregated public pool open.
Augusta Scattergood has drawn on real-life events to create a memorable novel about family, friendship, and choices that aren’t always easy.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
143 people are currently reading
4972 people want to read
About the author
Augusta Scattergood
5 books125 followersAugusta Scattergood grew up in the Mississippi Delta and left to attend college at the University of North Carolina and library school at Simmons College. But she never really left her home state, even while living in New Jersey.
Her first novel is set in Mississippi during Freedom Summer, 1964. GLORY BE was published in January, 2012, by Scholastic Press. THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY, her new middle-grade novel takes place in a little town in Florida named Destiny where Theo has come to live at the Rest Easy Rooming House and Dance Studio. Her third historical middle-grade novel will also be published by Scholastic Press, August 2016. MAKING FRIENDS WITH BILLY WONG is based on a few memories and a lot of research!
Augusta is represented by Linda Pratt of Wernick & Pratt Agency.
A school librarian for over twenty years, Augusta now lives in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Her first novel is set in Mississippi during Freedom Summer, 1964. GLORY BE was published in January, 2012, by Scholastic Press. THE WAY TO STAY IN DESTINY, her new middle-grade novel takes place in a little town in Florida named Destiny where Theo has come to live at the Rest Easy Rooming House and Dance Studio. Her third historical middle-grade novel will also be published by Scholastic Press, August 2016. MAKING FRIENDS WITH BILLY WONG is based on a few memories and a lot of research!
Augusta is represented by Linda Pratt of Wernick & Pratt Agency.
A school librarian for over twenty years, Augusta now lives in St. Petersburg, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 566 reviews
May 16, 2012
Read this one following another great read set in the 1960s - Dead End in Norvelt. Great read aloud for 3rd - 4th grade showing the perspective of a child during the civil rights movement. Great attention to specific details that reflect the 60s - transistor radios, Nancy Drew books, and my favorite, double-dog dare you. Also, loved the message about writing to create change - no matter what your age, you can use your voice to express your opinion and encourage others to do the right thing. Great characters!
January 26, 2013
What is there to like?
▪ Well-written prose, with a Southern lilt to the (first-person) narration and dialogue.
▪ Although it is written from a white perspective, I don't think it's a White People Solve Racism story. Racism certainly isn't solved by the end of the book, and the "good" white people aren't magically accepted into the black community. Rather, Glory gets only glimpses of the work that the African-American community is doing for themselves through stories from Emma, the cook.
▪ Glory's preoccupation with the pool being closed for the summer and having her birthday ignored is an honest portrayal of how kids start to learn about and process big problems—that is, when those problems start to infiltrate their own familiar world. This is important, because understanding comes through empathy, and young readers will easily relate to problems they might already understand—Glory's being upset about the pool and her birthday party—and, like Glory, come to understand the bigger, more important problems surrounding it.
▪ The relationships between Glory and her older sister (a teenager starting to grow up and pull away from her little sister) as well as her own best friend (a boy being bullied by his father and older brother in ways Glory doesn't quite understand) are sensitively drawn, and show how people grow and sometimes are torn by different loyalties.
What's not to like?
▪ Although it's not a White People Solve Racism story, it is written from a white perspective, and we do have plenty of cultural texts that portray (even celebrate) the Civil Rights movement through whites' involvement. This book could be a good introduction to the Civil Rights movement for young readers to pick up on their own, then, but it should certainly be followed up with a book that focuses on the African-American experience if they want to learn more.
▪ It does feel a little preachy sometimes, with Lessons too spelled out. For example:
What made me pick it up?
Saw it on the library shelf and remembered that it was on my to-read list, and I want to read more historical/realistic kids' fiction.
Overall Recommendation: Recommended
▪ Well-written prose, with a Southern lilt to the (first-person) narration and dialogue.
▪ Although it is written from a white perspective, I don't think it's a White People Solve Racism story. Racism certainly isn't solved by the end of the book, and the "good" white people aren't magically accepted into the black community. Rather, Glory gets only glimpses of the work that the African-American community is doing for themselves through stories from Emma, the cook.
▪ Glory's preoccupation with the pool being closed for the summer and having her birthday ignored is an honest portrayal of how kids start to learn about and process big problems—that is, when those problems start to infiltrate their own familiar world. This is important, because understanding comes through empathy, and young readers will easily relate to problems they might already understand—Glory's being upset about the pool and her birthday party—and, like Glory, come to understand the bigger, more important problems surrounding it.
▪ The relationships between Glory and her older sister (a teenager starting to grow up and pull away from her little sister) as well as her own best friend (a boy being bullied by his father and older brother in ways Glory doesn't quite understand) are sensitively drawn, and show how people grow and sometimes are torn by different loyalties.
What's not to like?
▪ Although it's not a White People Solve Racism story, it is written from a white perspective, and we do have plenty of cultural texts that portray (even celebrate) the Civil Rights movement through whites' involvement. This book could be a good introduction to the Civil Rights movement for young readers to pick up on their own, then, but it should certainly be followed up with a book that focuses on the African-American experience if they want to learn more.
▪ It does feel a little preachy sometimes, with Lessons too spelled out. For example:
"You know what Jesslyn? When this summer started, I worried that the worst thing would be the pool closing before my birthday and me not having a party. Being twelve is turning out okay after all."and
"I figured out what's got people...so riled up. It's not just the new people in town. It's things changing so fast that's scaring them. When people get scared, they make up lies...And they act mean."
What made me pick it up?
Saw it on the library shelf and remembered that it was on my to-read list, and I want to read more historical/realistic kids' fiction.
Overall Recommendation: Recommended
May 20, 2013
If someone unfamiliar with American History asked me for a novel that discussed cultural realities of the Civil Rights movement in the small town, White, United States South I would hand him/her this book over The Help, hands down.
Glory Be brings to light a lot of really pertinent issues, but does it in a gentle yet realistic way that would make this an ideal class read trying to help kids understand a tense, tumultuous era.
Glory Be brings to light a lot of really pertinent issues, but does it in a gentle yet realistic way that would make this an ideal class read trying to help kids understand a tense, tumultuous era.
January 29, 2012
It's the summer of Glory's 12th birthday and all she can think about is celebrating with her friends and her older sister at the community pool. Everything changes when the town council unexpectedly closes the pool for repairs. Glory can't understand why repairs are needed when nothing is broken. Though the adults in her life are reluctant to explain the real reason for the closure, slowly Glory realizes that the pool is actually closed because the council would prefer to close the pool for good than allow African Americans in. This story takes place during the summer of 1964, Freedom Summer, in the town of Hanging Moss, Mississippi. With the help of "Freedom workers" from the north, African Americans throughout the south and especially in Mississippi fought to get the vote and end segregation. Through the events of the summer Glory learns reevaluates her ideas of right and wrong and she learns how to stand up against injustice and hatred. Glory Be provides a window into one small town during the hight of the civil rights movement and is reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird.
March 12, 2012
The passage in Glory Be that most helped me make sense of how I felt about it isn't in the body of the novel at all, but rather buried towards the end of the Author's Note that serves as a postscript.
"I once thought this book was about sisters, how they grow apart and come back together. Then smart, important people showed me it was about more than sisters."
With the highest due respect for people who are probably smarter, and without a doubt more important than me, I think that maybe Augusta Scattergood should have stuck with her initial impulse. Glory Be tells the story of Glory Hemphill and her older sister Jesslyn, and the tumultuous summer of 1964, in which issues of segregation and racial equality come tearing through the sleepy town of Hanging Moss, Mississippi. However, the parts about the sisters' changing, uneasy relationship ring to me much truer -- and seem to me more profound -- than the portions that try to deal with the impact of the Civil Rights movement on a racially divided town.
Glory and Jesslyn's story is tenderly drawn, and laced with details such as the importance of the game of "junk poker," a card game in which the kinds of treasures that are special to children are used as chips -- a game that Jesslyn invented, but which she now considers herself too old to play. The Civil Rights sections, however, too often trade in stock tropes such as the unidimensional town football star/bully and the plucky, undaunted librarian.
**SPOILER ALERT**
Glory Be is by no means a poor book, and given that it's Scattergood's debut, I'd mark her as an author to watch. I just wish I could have read a book that spent all of its energy in its incisive exploration of sisterly relationships, rather than diffusing itself trying to do too much.
"I once thought this book was about sisters, how they grow apart and come back together. Then smart, important people showed me it was about more than sisters."
With the highest due respect for people who are probably smarter, and without a doubt more important than me, I think that maybe Augusta Scattergood should have stuck with her initial impulse. Glory Be tells the story of Glory Hemphill and her older sister Jesslyn, and the tumultuous summer of 1964, in which issues of segregation and racial equality come tearing through the sleepy town of Hanging Moss, Mississippi. However, the parts about the sisters' changing, uneasy relationship ring to me much truer -- and seem to me more profound -- than the portions that try to deal with the impact of the Civil Rights movement on a racially divided town.
Glory and Jesslyn's story is tenderly drawn, and laced with details such as the importance of the game of "junk poker," a card game in which the kinds of treasures that are special to children are used as chips -- a game that Jesslyn invented, but which she now considers herself too old to play. The Civil Rights sections, however, too often trade in stock tropes such as the unidimensional town football star/bully and the plucky, undaunted librarian.
**SPOILER ALERT**
Glory Be is by no means a poor book, and given that it's Scattergood's debut, I'd mark her as an author to watch. I just wish I could have read a book that spent all of its energy in its incisive exploration of sisterly relationships, rather than diffusing itself trying to do too much.
November 19, 2016
I'm going with a 4 on this book, but with a caveat. Glory Be tells the story of the civil rights movement from the point of view of a Southern white 12 year old girl, Glory. She's a great character and one that plenty of upper elementary children will find relatable. She's struggling to sort out friendships and her role within both her family and town. Mostly, she is upset that her community pool is closing. The reason for the closure is the town council's resistance to integration. I think some students will find Glory inspirational in that she speaks up for what is right, even if her motivation is a little selfish.
I went with a 4 in part because of the excellent narration in the audio book, but if I read this with my children, I will insist on reading this as part of a "book sandwich" because although the story is engaging and relatable, it paints an incomplete picture of integration. The first person point of view means the readers are engaged with integration through the lens of someone who enjoys considerable privilege within her community. Her age means she has less world experience to understand or be able to explain the changes happening around her.
This is one of those books that although well intentioned, also illustrates the need for more diverse voices. As part of the "book sandwich," I would want my children to read a conceptually similar story of integration told from the perspective of an African-American child, and I would want them to read some non-fiction about the 1950-1960s segregation and integration eras to give them a historical context. Glory Be is a nice book, but to be fully appreciated, the work needs to be part of a larger discussion on race and history. I think it could be great for a parent-child book club or in a classroom if sufficient context is provided.
If you happen to know of any works of fiction appropriate for the 8-14 set that address integration from an African-American point of view, please comment on here with your suggestions. Thanks.
I went with a 4 in part because of the excellent narration in the audio book, but if I read this with my children, I will insist on reading this as part of a "book sandwich" because although the story is engaging and relatable, it paints an incomplete picture of integration. The first person point of view means the readers are engaged with integration through the lens of someone who enjoys considerable privilege within her community. Her age means she has less world experience to understand or be able to explain the changes happening around her.
This is one of those books that although well intentioned, also illustrates the need for more diverse voices. As part of the "book sandwich," I would want my children to read a conceptually similar story of integration told from the perspective of an African-American child, and I would want them to read some non-fiction about the 1950-1960s segregation and integration eras to give them a historical context. Glory Be is a nice book, but to be fully appreciated, the work needs to be part of a larger discussion on race and history. I think it could be great for a parent-child book club or in a classroom if sufficient context is provided.
If you happen to know of any works of fiction appropriate for the 8-14 set that address integration from an African-American point of view, please comment on here with your suggestions. Thanks.
November 25, 2025
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2012
I wanted to like this book more than I did. While the characters and story line were promising, I don't think the writing lived up to my expectations. I'll take it to my students this week and see what they make of it.
November 27, 2020
Good book for 4th to 6th graders who are interested in Freedom Riders and Jim Crow South in 1964.
March 16, 2019
A really good glimpse into the Civil Rights era for kids. It's not over simplified either, which I appreciate. Not everything is neatly wrapped up at the end, as it should be if it wants to reflect that time.
May 28, 2019
Cute book, pretty ok, just wayyyyy below my reading level. It’s definitely a kid’s book, finished it in literally 4 hours
April 30, 2012
Augusta Scattergood is the probably the coolest author name I've heard in...well, I can't think of a cooler one off the top of my head. Sounds totally made up, but if it's not, well then, it rocks. Now, on to the book.
Glory Hemphill's summer of 1964 isn't shaping up too well. Her sister Jesslyn, who only last year was playing Junk Poker with her and talking about how boys were gross, is telling Glory to leave her alone and prissing around mooning over boys. Glory's twelfth birthday is only days away (she's a Fourth of July baby) and no one seems to care. She's been looking forward to spending her birthday as she always does, with friends swimming and splashing in the community pool, but the pool has an ugly sign on it declaring it closed until further notice. The Town Council says it needs cracks repaired, but Glory knows there are no cracks in the pool. Glory's best friend, Frankie, seems to take a little pleasure in passing on the bad news to her, courtesy of his father, a councilman. Frankie seems to pass on a lot of bad news to Glory lately, and Glory's about had enough.
She's sure the Council closed the pool because they don't want Negroes swimming in their community pool. Members are annoyed that some "outside agitators" from the north--stupid, meddling Yankees--have come to town to stir up trouble, staffing a Freedom Clinic for coloreds outside of town. One young girl from Ohio--Glory's new friend, Laura--had the audacity to drink from a Coloreds Only water fountain. Glory wonders, What in the heck is she thinking???
Glory is not one to be silent, however, so she pens a letter to the editor of the newspaper telling the Town Council just what she thinks about the closing of the pool. She doesn't tell her minister father about the letter because she doesn't want to get him in trouble with nosy church members. That certainly doesn't work out the way she planned.
Glory represents the average white child caught in the ugly world of politics and racism in the 1960's. She knows there are lines that should not be crossed but she doesn't know why. When the problem is facing her directly, she realizes what she believes and tries to take a stand. I will say that occasionally I grew frustrated with Glory because she blabbed secrets and lied to stay out of trouble when she did things she knew were wrong, yet she was so angry with other people who lied, and with Frankie when he told the secret she never should have passed on to him in the first place. I wanted her to be more mature than that. And then I realized that I want most of the world to be more mature than that, but they're not. I'm not. So I knew I had to give Glory a break.
Same for Frankie. I didn't like him at all. Scattergood made sure I didn't hate him by reminding me that Frankie gets smacked around at home by his bully big brother (and maybe by his racist father, too?). I had to remind myself regularly that he was just a scared little boy who had been indoctrinated by a hateful father and talked big to cover his fear.
Laura was kind of a throw-away character for me. Seemed she was there to serve a purpose, but the attempt at making her a criminal seemed unrealistic. Why go after an 11-year-old girl when there are other, older, more "dangerous" Yankees who would make better villains? Umm...because it's a kids' book, I suppose. But I think it would have been more realistic to make Robbie the one who was framed for the break-in, not Laura.
Emma, the family maid, who is black, was nearly a throw-away character as well, but scenes near the end of the book between Emma and Glory and one with Mr. Smith revealed more. Her quiet strength and dignity became apparent in those scenes, and she became more real to me.
Things seemed to resolve themselves a little too easily (J.T. is a real jerk, so why did he back off? No reason was given I could see.) But overall, I enjoyed this book and was involved enough to read it quickly. I look forward to reading more of Augusta Scattergood's work. (Man, that's a cool name....)
Glory Hemphill's summer of 1964 isn't shaping up too well. Her sister Jesslyn, who only last year was playing Junk Poker with her and talking about how boys were gross, is telling Glory to leave her alone and prissing around mooning over boys. Glory's twelfth birthday is only days away (she's a Fourth of July baby) and no one seems to care. She's been looking forward to spending her birthday as she always does, with friends swimming and splashing in the community pool, but the pool has an ugly sign on it declaring it closed until further notice. The Town Council says it needs cracks repaired, but Glory knows there are no cracks in the pool. Glory's best friend, Frankie, seems to take a little pleasure in passing on the bad news to her, courtesy of his father, a councilman. Frankie seems to pass on a lot of bad news to Glory lately, and Glory's about had enough.
She's sure the Council closed the pool because they don't want Negroes swimming in their community pool. Members are annoyed that some "outside agitators" from the north--stupid, meddling Yankees--have come to town to stir up trouble, staffing a Freedom Clinic for coloreds outside of town. One young girl from Ohio--Glory's new friend, Laura--had the audacity to drink from a Coloreds Only water fountain. Glory wonders, What in the heck is she thinking???
Glory is not one to be silent, however, so she pens a letter to the editor of the newspaper telling the Town Council just what she thinks about the closing of the pool. She doesn't tell her minister father about the letter because she doesn't want to get him in trouble with nosy church members. That certainly doesn't work out the way she planned.
Glory represents the average white child caught in the ugly world of politics and racism in the 1960's. She knows there are lines that should not be crossed but she doesn't know why. When the problem is facing her directly, she realizes what she believes and tries to take a stand. I will say that occasionally I grew frustrated with Glory because she blabbed secrets and lied to stay out of trouble when she did things she knew were wrong, yet she was so angry with other people who lied, and with Frankie when he told the secret she never should have passed on to him in the first place. I wanted her to be more mature than that. And then I realized that I want most of the world to be more mature than that, but they're not. I'm not. So I knew I had to give Glory a break.
Same for Frankie. I didn't like him at all. Scattergood made sure I didn't hate him by reminding me that Frankie gets smacked around at home by his bully big brother (and maybe by his racist father, too?). I had to remind myself regularly that he was just a scared little boy who had been indoctrinated by a hateful father and talked big to cover his fear.
Laura was kind of a throw-away character for me. Seemed she was there to serve a purpose, but the attempt at making her a criminal seemed unrealistic. Why go after an 11-year-old girl when there are other, older, more "dangerous" Yankees who would make better villains? Umm...because it's a kids' book, I suppose. But I think it would have been more realistic to make Robbie the one who was framed for the break-in, not Laura.
Emma, the family maid, who is black, was nearly a throw-away character as well, but scenes near the end of the book between Emma and Glory and one with Mr. Smith revealed more. Her quiet strength and dignity became apparent in those scenes, and she became more real to me.
Things seemed to resolve themselves a little too easily (J.T. is a real jerk, so why did he back off? No reason was given I could see.) But overall, I enjoyed this book and was involved enough to read it quickly. I look forward to reading more of Augusta Scattergood's work. (Man, that's a cool name....)
February 21, 2013
I read Glory Be last summer during a very hazy, hot, and humid stretch of weather we were having.* It was the perfect book for the season - it, too, is loaded with heat and humidity, but not all of it is weather related.
Set in a place called Hanging Moss, Mississippi, Glory Be is a work of historical fiction set in 1964, a volatile time and place at the height of the Civil Rights Movement and much of it is drawn from the author's own recollections and experiences. It was during the summer of 1964, called the Freedom Summer, that the Civil Rights Act was signed into law prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion or national origin. It is also the summer when mostly white volunteers went to Mississippi to register black voters.
For Gloriana June Hemphill, or Glory, the summer of 1964 means a 12th birthday celebrated at her beloved Community Pool on July 4th. But before the summer even gets going, things begin to change. First, big sister Jesslyn, her best friend, in more interested in a boy now than in doing things with Glory. And then Frankie, Glory's other best friend, tells her the pool is going to be closing for repairs, even though there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it. Even Frankie is changing, but not in a very nice way.
No sooner said than done - the pool does indeed close before Glory's birthday party. According to the new Civil Rights Law, the pool should now be integrated. So rather than allowing blacks to swim in it, the town council closed it down under the guise of repair work. But as summer goes on, no repairs are done. And much to Glory's chagrin, it looks like the worst is coming out in Frankie and he may be following in his racist father's footsteps.
For something to do, Glory heads to the library, another favorite place. There, librarian and friend Miss Bloom introduces her to Laura Lampert, in Hanging Moss with her mother, a nurse running a Freedom Clinic and a Civil Rights worker. Glory had never given much thought to things like segregation, she had always just accepted things as they were: thing such as different water fountains, different lunch counters, and ever different pools for blacks and whites. But the closing of the white pool on the hottest day of the year, just days before her big party, and her friendship with Laura and Miss Bloom begins to bring the unfairness of separate and definitely not equal into her consciousness and action for Glory. And along the way, she finds that there are all kinds of bumps in the roads and unexpected friends to help.
I really liked this well-researched, well-written novel. The writing is lively and energetic, the characters are realistic and the story has real depth. It is also one of my favorite kind of middle grade novels - the kind where the reader experiences the slow process of the main characters growth as a person, where there is no Eureka moment, but rather the steady unfolding of understanding, that coming-of -age process where they puzzle thing out for themselves and finally figure out. For Glory, that process starts at the closed sign on the Community Pool and ends in the library.
In addition, Scattergood has done a wonderful job of portraying the time period she is writing about. References to ducktail hair cuts, Elvis Presley, charm bracelets, Rock and Roll music and the Beatles are just some of the things that were so popular in the summer of '64 and add realistic flavor to this novel.
I have seen Glory Be and its heroine Glory, frequently compared to To Kill a Mockingbird, and its heroine Scout, but I think it should be only to the extent that they are such well written examples of historical fiction with truly wonderful characters. To go beyond that is to rob each book and character of their own charming individuality.
There is a helpful Glory Be discussion guide available from Scholastic's Mother/Daughter Book Club
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from Webster Branch of the NYPL
*FYI - I reread Glory Be during a recent cold snap in NY and enjoyed it just as much the second time around.
Set in a place called Hanging Moss, Mississippi, Glory Be is a work of historical fiction set in 1964, a volatile time and place at the height of the Civil Rights Movement and much of it is drawn from the author's own recollections and experiences. It was during the summer of 1964, called the Freedom Summer, that the Civil Rights Act was signed into law prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion or national origin. It is also the summer when mostly white volunteers went to Mississippi to register black voters.
For Gloriana June Hemphill, or Glory, the summer of 1964 means a 12th birthday celebrated at her beloved Community Pool on July 4th. But before the summer even gets going, things begin to change. First, big sister Jesslyn, her best friend, in more interested in a boy now than in doing things with Glory. And then Frankie, Glory's other best friend, tells her the pool is going to be closing for repairs, even though there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it. Even Frankie is changing, but not in a very nice way.
No sooner said than done - the pool does indeed close before Glory's birthday party. According to the new Civil Rights Law, the pool should now be integrated. So rather than allowing blacks to swim in it, the town council closed it down under the guise of repair work. But as summer goes on, no repairs are done. And much to Glory's chagrin, it looks like the worst is coming out in Frankie and he may be following in his racist father's footsteps.
For something to do, Glory heads to the library, another favorite place. There, librarian and friend Miss Bloom introduces her to Laura Lampert, in Hanging Moss with her mother, a nurse running a Freedom Clinic and a Civil Rights worker. Glory had never given much thought to things like segregation, she had always just accepted things as they were: thing such as different water fountains, different lunch counters, and ever different pools for blacks and whites. But the closing of the white pool on the hottest day of the year, just days before her big party, and her friendship with Laura and Miss Bloom begins to bring the unfairness of separate and definitely not equal into her consciousness and action for Glory. And along the way, she finds that there are all kinds of bumps in the roads and unexpected friends to help.
I really liked this well-researched, well-written novel. The writing is lively and energetic, the characters are realistic and the story has real depth. It is also one of my favorite kind of middle grade novels - the kind where the reader experiences the slow process of the main characters growth as a person, where there is no Eureka moment, but rather the steady unfolding of understanding, that coming-of -age process where they puzzle thing out for themselves and finally figure out. For Glory, that process starts at the closed sign on the Community Pool and ends in the library.
In addition, Scattergood has done a wonderful job of portraying the time period she is writing about. References to ducktail hair cuts, Elvis Presley, charm bracelets, Rock and Roll music and the Beatles are just some of the things that were so popular in the summer of '64 and add realistic flavor to this novel.
I have seen Glory Be and its heroine Glory, frequently compared to To Kill a Mockingbird, and its heroine Scout, but I think it should be only to the extent that they are such well written examples of historical fiction with truly wonderful characters. To go beyond that is to rob each book and character of their own charming individuality.
There is a helpful Glory Be discussion guide available from Scholastic's Mother/Daughter Book Club
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from Webster Branch of the NYPL
*FYI - I reread Glory Be during a recent cold snap in NY and enjoyed it just as much the second time around.
July 29, 2019
After I read Kathryn Stockett’s The Help, I wrote a strange sort of not-review of the book to try and help myself understand what was going on with people’s reactions to it. It’s a time and place in history that, as a white Yankee, I have little experience with--almost every history class I took in high school got us from Columbus landing to just after the Civil War then petered out fantastically as the weather started to turn hot. I think Junior year might have actually made it to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, but...yeah...not a lot of focus.
Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood was recommended to me by a friend along with a stack of others, so I wasn’t entirely sure what it was about. Once I started reading it, however, I realized that it’s a spiritual little sister of The Help--it deals with the same type of prejudice in the same kind of small town in Mississippi--but it’s for kids.
The protagonist is eleven-almost-twelve-year-old Gloriana June Hemphill (known as Glory) who is eagerly awaiting her birthday party that she always has at the Hanging Moss, MS community pool. Unfortunately for her, it’s the summer of 1964 and racist members of the community have decided that it’s better that they close the pool than have the African-American side of the town be able to use it. She befriends a Yankee girl from Ohio named Laura Lampert who has moved to town with her mother who is starting a Freedom Clinic so that the African-American people of the town can have medical care they can afford.
Ultimately, Glory writes a scathing letter to the town newspaper about why she thinks the pool shouldn’t be closed. Everyone keeps telling her that it’s closed because there are cracks in the pool that need to be fixed.
Unfortunately for Scattergood, I don’t believe that Glory could have written the letter she wrote. I mean that from a completely literary standpoint, though. Throughout the book, Glory seemed to me to not really understand what was going on--why her BFF Frankie’s dad wanted the pool closed; why Laura’s mom was helping to open the clinic; why her family’s maid, Emma, would tense up when Glory would press her about why the pool was closed; why the librarian was taking a stand by not taking seats out of the library.
She seemed so focused on insisting that there were no cracks in the pool or holes in the fence that when I actually got to the letter and it specifically said, “The people in this town dumb enough to agree to shut down a pool to keep Negroes out--and lying about it by saying it’s the pool that needs fixing--they are the fools who can’t see,” I was a little flabbergasted. It seemed completely out of character. For half the book, she seemed like a naive eleven-year-old who couldn’t understand why people wouldn’t try to just get along, then wham, blindsided by a Letter to the Editor.
At least after that, she seemed a little less naive.
It was an interesting read and I can imagine that it would be a good introduction to children about what the Civil Rights movement was all about. NPR just had it as their Backseat Book Club pick in July, so if you want to hear a better summary than then one I gave as well as some input from the author, I highly suggest giving this a listen.
My only other nagging question I have about the book is...well...if her birthday is July 4th, why is her middle name June?
Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood was recommended to me by a friend along with a stack of others, so I wasn’t entirely sure what it was about. Once I started reading it, however, I realized that it’s a spiritual little sister of The Help--it deals with the same type of prejudice in the same kind of small town in Mississippi--but it’s for kids.
The protagonist is eleven-almost-twelve-year-old Gloriana June Hemphill (known as Glory) who is eagerly awaiting her birthday party that she always has at the Hanging Moss, MS community pool. Unfortunately for her, it’s the summer of 1964 and racist members of the community have decided that it’s better that they close the pool than have the African-American side of the town be able to use it. She befriends a Yankee girl from Ohio named Laura Lampert who has moved to town with her mother who is starting a Freedom Clinic so that the African-American people of the town can have medical care they can afford.
Ultimately, Glory writes a scathing letter to the town newspaper about why she thinks the pool shouldn’t be closed. Everyone keeps telling her that it’s closed because there are cracks in the pool that need to be fixed.
Unfortunately for Scattergood, I don’t believe that Glory could have written the letter she wrote. I mean that from a completely literary standpoint, though. Throughout the book, Glory seemed to me to not really understand what was going on--why her BFF Frankie’s dad wanted the pool closed; why Laura’s mom was helping to open the clinic; why her family’s maid, Emma, would tense up when Glory would press her about why the pool was closed; why the librarian was taking a stand by not taking seats out of the library.
She seemed so focused on insisting that there were no cracks in the pool or holes in the fence that when I actually got to the letter and it specifically said, “The people in this town dumb enough to agree to shut down a pool to keep Negroes out--and lying about it by saying it’s the pool that needs fixing--they are the fools who can’t see,” I was a little flabbergasted. It seemed completely out of character. For half the book, she seemed like a naive eleven-year-old who couldn’t understand why people wouldn’t try to just get along, then wham, blindsided by a Letter to the Editor.
At least after that, she seemed a little less naive.
It was an interesting read and I can imagine that it would be a good introduction to children about what the Civil Rights movement was all about. NPR just had it as their Backseat Book Club pick in July, so if you want to hear a better summary than then one I gave as well as some input from the author, I highly suggest giving this a listen.
My only other nagging question I have about the book is...well...if her birthday is July 4th, why is her middle name June?
January 4, 2018
Title: Glory Be
Intermediate
1. Reflection: Text to Text, Text to Self, Text to World connection with the book.
Text to world connection: In this story, Glory and Miss B were able to stand up for what they felt was right and invite Emma, a “colored” maid, to the library for a reception. In many countries, they would be sentenced to prison or even death for going against what the government as deemed the norm, even today. In today’s news, situations/altercations/etc. are still described as “racial crimes” or “white vs. black” or “hate crimes”. Intolerance of people different than us is still prevalent across the world, so while we have come a long way from 1964 Hanging Moss, Mississippi, but there are still strides to be made here in the U.S. and all across the globe.
2. Does the book expose children to multiple perspectives and values? Provide specific examples from the text to support your response.
Glory lives in Hanging Moss, Mississippi, a town still segregated by black and white. Glory’s mother passed away, and she is being raised by her minister father and a “colored” maid, Emma. Glory befriends Laura, a “Yankee” who is there for the summer so her mother can provide healthcare to “colored” people in need. This story shows many different views on the changes happening in Hanging Moss. Many people believe “coloreds” don’t belong in the same areas as “whites” (libraries, swimming pools, etc.), while others feel people are people no matter the color. Glory’s father states, “Libraries are about books. Books have no color. And they don’t care who reads them.” Glory believes this as well and tension builds with her best friend, Frankie, when he joins his brother on the “evil” side. This story is about civil rights and segregation in the south, but it is also about loyalty, tolerance, and standing up for what you believe to be right.
3. Write six discussion questions using all six stages of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Remembering – List the main characters and one sentence to describe them.
Understanding – Brother Joe says, “Libraries are about books. Books have no color. And they don’t care who reads them.” What do you think he means?
Applying – Glory is faced with many choices. Choose one and tell if you think she made the correct choice. Why or why not?
Analyzing – Choose a character and complete a compare/contrast with them and another person from the Civil Rights movement.
Evaluating – Imagine yourself back in 1964. A time when the color of your skin determined things like what school you could attend, the swimming pool you could use and even simple things like the drinking fountain you were permitted to use. How would this make you feel? Is there any evidence of this still today?
Creating – Think about a cause you are passionate about. Write a letter to the editor defending your passion or persuading someone to change something regarding it.
Intermediate
1. Reflection: Text to Text, Text to Self, Text to World connection with the book.
Text to world connection: In this story, Glory and Miss B were able to stand up for what they felt was right and invite Emma, a “colored” maid, to the library for a reception. In many countries, they would be sentenced to prison or even death for going against what the government as deemed the norm, even today. In today’s news, situations/altercations/etc. are still described as “racial crimes” or “white vs. black” or “hate crimes”. Intolerance of people different than us is still prevalent across the world, so while we have come a long way from 1964 Hanging Moss, Mississippi, but there are still strides to be made here in the U.S. and all across the globe.
2. Does the book expose children to multiple perspectives and values? Provide specific examples from the text to support your response.
Glory lives in Hanging Moss, Mississippi, a town still segregated by black and white. Glory’s mother passed away, and she is being raised by her minister father and a “colored” maid, Emma. Glory befriends Laura, a “Yankee” who is there for the summer so her mother can provide healthcare to “colored” people in need. This story shows many different views on the changes happening in Hanging Moss. Many people believe “coloreds” don’t belong in the same areas as “whites” (libraries, swimming pools, etc.), while others feel people are people no matter the color. Glory’s father states, “Libraries are about books. Books have no color. And they don’t care who reads them.” Glory believes this as well and tension builds with her best friend, Frankie, when he joins his brother on the “evil” side. This story is about civil rights and segregation in the south, but it is also about loyalty, tolerance, and standing up for what you believe to be right.
3. Write six discussion questions using all six stages of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Remembering – List the main characters and one sentence to describe them.
Understanding – Brother Joe says, “Libraries are about books. Books have no color. And they don’t care who reads them.” What do you think he means?
Applying – Glory is faced with many choices. Choose one and tell if you think she made the correct choice. Why or why not?
Analyzing – Choose a character and complete a compare/contrast with them and another person from the Civil Rights movement.
Evaluating – Imagine yourself back in 1964. A time when the color of your skin determined things like what school you could attend, the swimming pool you could use and even simple things like the drinking fountain you were permitted to use. How would this make you feel? Is there any evidence of this still today?
Creating – Think about a cause you are passionate about. Write a letter to the editor defending your passion or persuading someone to change something regarding it.
February 4, 2012
Glory Be (Scholastic, 2012) spans two weeks in the summer of 1964 when Gloriana Hemphill turns twelve. In these eye-opening weeks, Glory becomes aware of the racial prejudice that permeates her Mississippi town. When the local pool ostensibly closes for repairs, Glory takes it upon herself to figure out the real reason behind the closing. In an act of bravery, she writes a scathing letter to the editor of the local newspaper decrying the prejudice which drove the Town Council's decision.
Since I am also writing historical fiction that deals with race relations in the South, it is interesting to see what events Augusta Scattergood drew upon to write her novel. The story takes place in the middle of Freedom Summer and the author folded in real events that happened in towns near her in Mississippi. The librarian and civil rights workers in Glory Be are based on individuals who Scattergood met. I enjoyed the description of Elvis Presley's house before it became a shrine, and how she included Robert Kennedy's visits to a black church in the area.
I was mostly drawn to Emma, the black woman who took care of Glory and her sister Jesslyn after their mother's death; she appears to be the wisest individual in the story. When Glory tries to figure out if the pool has been closed because it has cracks, Emma answers, "What's broken is that some folks don't seem to like anything changing. Everybody's got to stay the same in this part of town." (p. 34) In this simple statement, Emma sums up the main theme of the book.
Glory changes during these two weeks. She goes from being a self-centered child who is only worried about the neighborhood pool being open for her birthday party, to someone who fights for the rights of others. Her letter to the editor was eloquent; I wished I had seen more of the maturation that led her to writing it.
Glory Be is a good introduction for both girl and boy 4th-7th grade readers into civil rights issues in the Deep South. This would be a great book to read for African American History month
Since I am also writing historical fiction that deals with race relations in the South, it is interesting to see what events Augusta Scattergood drew upon to write her novel. The story takes place in the middle of Freedom Summer and the author folded in real events that happened in towns near her in Mississippi. The librarian and civil rights workers in Glory Be are based on individuals who Scattergood met. I enjoyed the description of Elvis Presley's house before it became a shrine, and how she included Robert Kennedy's visits to a black church in the area.
I was mostly drawn to Emma, the black woman who took care of Glory and her sister Jesslyn after their mother's death; she appears to be the wisest individual in the story. When Glory tries to figure out if the pool has been closed because it has cracks, Emma answers, "What's broken is that some folks don't seem to like anything changing. Everybody's got to stay the same in this part of town." (p. 34) In this simple statement, Emma sums up the main theme of the book.
Glory changes during these two weeks. She goes from being a self-centered child who is only worried about the neighborhood pool being open for her birthday party, to someone who fights for the rights of others. Her letter to the editor was eloquent; I wished I had seen more of the maturation that led her to writing it.
Glory Be is a good introduction for both girl and boy 4th-7th grade readers into civil rights issues in the Deep South. This would be a great book to read for African American History month
June 2, 2012
Glory lives in Mississippi in 1964. There are fountains for the white people and fountains for the coloreds. Pools and schools are segregated and the white folks seem to like it that way. When some people decide to close the local pool though, Glory is flown for a loop. What do they think they can close the pool for. It's summer and almost Glory's birthday and she doesn't want that pool to be closed. They stated that is was for repairs, but slowly Glory realizes that it might have more to do with her new friend from the North and the people they have come to help.
This was a really interesting story. I liked that Glory started off a bit naive, it lent a different feel to the whole subject. Glory doesn't really know a lot about the racism that is part of her every day life. She just sort of blindly follows the rules. Living in Mississippi there doesn't seem to be too many people that are willing to start a ruckus. This story was about quite a few different things. While black people are working to getting the vote and freedom Glory and her sister are growing apart a bit. Glory's older sister is now a teenager and doesn't want to hang out with her little sister. Glory's best friend Frankie is being bullied by his brother and father. This causes him to be nearly unbearable to Glory. He's super racist because that's how his family feels. This is another great discussion book that took a really good look at civil rights in a southern town. The librarian in this is fantastic, a true librarian, the good kind of librarian. She was outspoken and welcomed everyone. If you like historical fiction especially the civil rights time period, check this one out. It is about more than just history though, so it's a good fit for most anyone.
First Line:
"What was taking Frankie so long?"
Favorite Line:
"What's really broken and needs fixing most of all are the backward people running this town and the others who won't do a thing about it."
Read more: http://www.areadingnook.com/#ixzz1wde...
This was a really interesting story. I liked that Glory started off a bit naive, it lent a different feel to the whole subject. Glory doesn't really know a lot about the racism that is part of her every day life. She just sort of blindly follows the rules. Living in Mississippi there doesn't seem to be too many people that are willing to start a ruckus. This story was about quite a few different things. While black people are working to getting the vote and freedom Glory and her sister are growing apart a bit. Glory's older sister is now a teenager and doesn't want to hang out with her little sister. Glory's best friend Frankie is being bullied by his brother and father. This causes him to be nearly unbearable to Glory. He's super racist because that's how his family feels. This is another great discussion book that took a really good look at civil rights in a southern town. The librarian in this is fantastic, a true librarian, the good kind of librarian. She was outspoken and welcomed everyone. If you like historical fiction especially the civil rights time period, check this one out. It is about more than just history though, so it's a good fit for most anyone.
First Line:
"What was taking Frankie so long?"
Favorite Line:
"What's really broken and needs fixing most of all are the backward people running this town and the others who won't do a thing about it."
Read more: http://www.areadingnook.com/#ixzz1wde...
December 20, 2011
I read this a while back, in ARC form. The cover is absolutely stunning. Wow! And the story inside that cover is just great. Though it's hard to accept that the 1960s qualify as a setting for historical fiction, I have to remind myself that, to many of those who will read this book, they are.
I appreciated the author's sensitive perspective on a very distressing time period, and I also appreciated that the kid problem was the central theme, avoiding the creation of an "issue" book. Glory is a rich and complex character who rings true in all of her thoughts and deeds. And it is summertime and she is dad-blamed hot and sweaty and wants nothing more than to cool off in the city swimming pool. Which the town leaders have up and closed, rather than have to integrate. So now Glory is hopping mad, in addition to being blue-blazes hot, and she is not the type of kid to take this kind of situation sitting down. Well, she does sit down. . . to write a letter, which does NOT get published in the town newspaper. But Glory does not let that stop her. I will let you read for yourself how that all transpires.
There was a nice push-pull between Glory and her big sister, as there would be between someone Glory's age and a teen-ager. I thought the author captured that frisson incredibly believably. Loved that Glory snuck along on the sister's pilgrimage to Elvis' childhood home with her sweetheart!
I was challenged by Glory friend Frankie's situation; it was hard to accept that his brother and father could be so relentlessly awful. I realize terrible things happened in that time period but their actions seemed at odds with the overall tone of the book.
That is my one small picky and should not keep you from snatching up this book and reading it with enthusiasm and satisfaction.
I appreciated the author's sensitive perspective on a very distressing time period, and I also appreciated that the kid problem was the central theme, avoiding the creation of an "issue" book. Glory is a rich and complex character who rings true in all of her thoughts and deeds. And it is summertime and she is dad-blamed hot and sweaty and wants nothing more than to cool off in the city swimming pool. Which the town leaders have up and closed, rather than have to integrate. So now Glory is hopping mad, in addition to being blue-blazes hot, and she is not the type of kid to take this kind of situation sitting down. Well, she does sit down. . . to write a letter, which does NOT get published in the town newspaper. But Glory does not let that stop her. I will let you read for yourself how that all transpires.
There was a nice push-pull between Glory and her big sister, as there would be between someone Glory's age and a teen-ager. I thought the author captured that frisson incredibly believably. Loved that Glory snuck along on the sister's pilgrimage to Elvis' childhood home with her sweetheart!
I was challenged by Glory friend Frankie's situation; it was hard to accept that his brother and father could be so relentlessly awful. I realize terrible things happened in that time period but their actions seemed at odds with the overall tone of the book.
That is my one small picky and should not keep you from snatching up this book and reading it with enthusiasm and satisfaction.
January 5, 2015
For the most part, I found the story pretty compelling, and for the most part I liked the characters; at the same time, however, I thought this somewhat simplistic and, at times, kind of unbelievable. For instance, main character Glory goes straight from being super mad about the local pool being closed, mainly because her birthday is coming up and she wants to have her party there like she always does (me, me, me!) to writing this impressive letter to the editor of the newspaper about how terrible the city counsel members (and others who think like them) are for being racists. The problem is that this letter is written fairly early on in the story, and at that point, I hadn't really seen a huge change in her thinking yet, and I couldn't bring myself to believe that this kid was at all capable of writing a letter like that. There are also a couple bits of dialogue early on where Scattergood is trying to introduce background info, but it feels really forced and awkward.
Still, I can see why this book has been nominated for the Bluebonnet Award and why it's a good book for middle schoolers to read. Glory has a strong voice, and it's an interesting view of the civil rights movement through the eyes of an eleven-year-old white girl, and also a coming of age story. It's nice to see the way Glory grows up a bit over the course of the book, and the way her relationships with her older sister and her friend Frankie change.
I guess I just wanted more from this somehow though...
Still, I can see why this book has been nominated for the Bluebonnet Award and why it's a good book for middle schoolers to read. Glory has a strong voice, and it's an interesting view of the civil rights movement through the eyes of an eleven-year-old white girl, and also a coming of age story. It's nice to see the way Glory grows up a bit over the course of the book, and the way her relationships with her older sister and her friend Frankie change.
I guess I just wanted more from this somehow though...
May 25, 2012
I've read a lot of Civil Rights related fiction recently, so at first I thought this was just same the old, same old. About halfway through I realized what's different: Glory Be DOES tell the same story, but this time it's framed for a middle-upper elementary audience instead of the middle grades. Nice. There aren't too many of those out there (at least that I've come across).
My grandparents had a farm in "Olive Branch, MS" which is about an hour from Memphis; I spent summers there as a little girl. Thus, I felt like Hanging Moss could definitely be a real place. My mom grew up in Memphis and would have been about Glory's age for the same time period, so that added a nice extra dimension. Worth noting: this is very much like To Kill a Mockingbird in that the main characters are all white and the maid (a strong character in her own right) is black.
This book reads young; a nice complement for the 8-10 crowd especially if older siblings are reading Crow or The Lions of Little Rock or To Kill a Mockingbird or something similar.
My grandparents had a farm in "Olive Branch, MS" which is about an hour from Memphis; I spent summers there as a little girl. Thus, I felt like Hanging Moss could definitely be a real place. My mom grew up in Memphis and would have been about Glory's age for the same time period, so that added a nice extra dimension. Worth noting: this is very much like To Kill a Mockingbird in that the main characters are all white and the maid (a strong character in her own right) is black.
This book reads young; a nice complement for the 8-10 crowd especially if older siblings are reading Crow or The Lions of Little Rock or To Kill a Mockingbird or something similar.
March 2, 2012
Reason for Reading: I enjoy children's historical fiction set during the civil rights movement.
A quiet, coming of age story about the summer a white girl, daughter of a preacher, turns twelve amidst the turmoil of the civil rights movement coming to her small rural Mississippi town. While the main plot issue deals with the problems caused by certain town folks who are adamantly against the new segregation laws being put into practice in their town, the real focus of the story is Glory and her relationship with various people and her becoming aware of these issues around her. It is a story of sisters, as she and her sister, who is in high school now, drift apart and yet start a new kind of relationship. It is also a story of friends as Glory becomes distant from her best friend from childhood and draws close to a newcomer from the North.
The issues are handled very well and seen through the eyes of a child just developing into an awareness of life around her. Glory is an easy character to identify with, though some of the other characters weren't fully developed. This is a quiet story with small events happening and leading up to the climax but without any real action except one scene where a boy is beat up. Probably most suited to girls, an enjoyable quick read full of typical southern storytelling.
A quiet, coming of age story about the summer a white girl, daughter of a preacher, turns twelve amidst the turmoil of the civil rights movement coming to her small rural Mississippi town. While the main plot issue deals with the problems caused by certain town folks who are adamantly against the new segregation laws being put into practice in their town, the real focus of the story is Glory and her relationship with various people and her becoming aware of these issues around her. It is a story of sisters, as she and her sister, who is in high school now, drift apart and yet start a new kind of relationship. It is also a story of friends as Glory becomes distant from her best friend from childhood and draws close to a newcomer from the North.
The issues are handled very well and seen through the eyes of a child just developing into an awareness of life around her. Glory is an easy character to identify with, though some of the other characters weren't fully developed. This is a quiet story with small events happening and leading up to the climax but without any real action except one scene where a boy is beat up. Probably most suited to girls, an enjoyable quick read full of typical southern storytelling.
September 30, 2012
Glory Be
Augusta Scattergood
Historicla Fiction
208 pages
A girl named Glory is an adventurous and curious person. She will do anything to help someone or something in this case both. Both Glory and her sister Jeeslyn go on adventure through trying to succeed in their life and others. The setting takes place in history of the time when whites were whites and blacks were blacks and for Glory she is still figuring that out. In life there is times that seem hard and times that seem easy but for Glory and her family it's both all at once. Money is time but time isn't money instead time is happiness. In conclusion, life is a adventure that takes one step at a time.
I like the book Glory Be because it is a historical fiction story which I like. I also like this book for many reasons one of them is that I can connect to Glory's personality but I play the role of Jeeslyn because I am a big sister who is curious and adventurous. The second reason is that the author gives life to the book which then I could imagine what it would be like in Glory's world. The third reason is that the book hooks you after every sentence and makes you want to read more. I recommened this book to people like historical fiction and girls. In conclusion, this is a good historical fiction book and I think girls and history lovers who like the book very much.
Augusta Scattergood
Historicla Fiction
208 pages
A girl named Glory is an adventurous and curious person. She will do anything to help someone or something in this case both. Both Glory and her sister Jeeslyn go on adventure through trying to succeed in their life and others. The setting takes place in history of the time when whites were whites and blacks were blacks and for Glory she is still figuring that out. In life there is times that seem hard and times that seem easy but for Glory and her family it's both all at once. Money is time but time isn't money instead time is happiness. In conclusion, life is a adventure that takes one step at a time.
I like the book Glory Be because it is a historical fiction story which I like. I also like this book for many reasons one of them is that I can connect to Glory's personality but I play the role of Jeeslyn because I am a big sister who is curious and adventurous. The second reason is that the author gives life to the book which then I could imagine what it would be like in Glory's world. The third reason is that the book hooks you after every sentence and makes you want to read more. I recommened this book to people like historical fiction and girls. In conclusion, this is a good historical fiction book and I think girls and history lovers who like the book very much.
November 30, 2017
As part of my daughter's 6th grade homeschool curriculum, I thought it would be interesting to examine racial oppression in the 60s from two different perspectives. First I read aloud Rita Williams-Garcia's One Crazy Summer, which was fantastic. It's the story of three black sisters who are sent from New York City to Oakland to spend the summer with their Black Panther mother they don't know. After that, I found that I just didn't have the patience for Glory Be. For one thing, hardly a thing happens. While Scattergood does a fine job developing the characters and family dynamics, capturing a child coming of age, the pacing is slow, we were bored and had to force ourselves to pick it up. Plus my daughter found Glory to be unlikable. In all fairness, it may simply be that we needed something meatier and more intriguing, and that this book is aimed at a younger audience.
As we reached the halfway point, I began to fear that this book was heading in a white savior direction, and we just quit. Ultimately, I feel that I have no interest in reading stories about the experiences of nonwhite people as told by white authors. Yes, it's important for children to hear about white people standing up for racial injustice. But in my opinion, it would be far more interesting and valuable to hear that from a black child's perspective.
As we reached the halfway point, I began to fear that this book was heading in a white savior direction, and we just quit. Ultimately, I feel that I have no interest in reading stories about the experiences of nonwhite people as told by white authors. Yes, it's important for children to hear about white people standing up for racial injustice. But in my opinion, it would be far more interesting and valuable to hear that from a black child's perspective.
February 6, 2012
In Hanging Moss, Mississippi, summer is filled with swimming at the pool, visits to the library, and just trying to stay cool. But for Glory, the summer of 1964 when she turned 12, was a very different summer. Now her older sister Jesslyn, doesn’t want anything to do with her. She is interested in boys more than in playing games with Glory. Her best friend Frankie has always been easy to get along with, but now things are strained. Glory does have a new friend, a girl from the north whose mother is helping set up a clinic where everyone is welcome. Desegregation has come to Hanging Moss, and the pool is closed rather than stop being segregated, tempers are high, and neighbors and families are torn. In this setting, it is Glory who shines, growing into a young woman with passion and a voice to match.
Read the rest of my review on my blog, Waking Brain Cells.
Read the rest of my review on my blog, Waking Brain Cells.
September 5, 2012
Glory Be is a wonderfully written book about the summer Gloriana June Hemphill's twelfth birthday, the summer of 1964, down in Mississippi. Civil Rights movements have just began in Hanging Moss, Mississippi, and these movements and their effect on the town are seen through the eyes of Gloriana (Glory, for short). Glory is spunky and a little bit sassy, which keeps the story entertaining and light-hearted, while still dealing with serious issues. The overarching dilemma of the novel is the effects of the Civil Rights movement on the small town, but the more minor situations pertaining to Glory's personal life are what make the book come alive and allow the reader to fall in love with the girl. Overall, the book is a really entertaining an easy read, and it does a good job portraying the how the Civil Rights effected one girl, one family, and one community. I highly recommend this book and will definitely have a copy of it in my classroom.
March 5, 2012
This story brought back vivid memories of growing up in the South during this time. My own Red Cross swimming lessons were ended before I ever got up the courage to learn to dive because of a closed pool that "needed repair." I remember being afraid to go downtown because of the sit-ins; in retrospect, not because of what the African-Americans might do but because of the behavior of the Whites who were so afraid of change. This story accurately portrays that time although I didn't know anyone who did the right thing like Glory did. I know I was like the author described herself in her notes at the end of the book; I was clueless as to what was going on at the age of 11. I often wish I had been old enough and mature enough to have done the right thing. Great story that I look forward to sharing with my students.
September 12, 2012
This is a nice book, but it felt too simplistic (rather than being nicely simple, which I would see as a strength). Glory seemed younger than her 11-12 years. Some of my nagging feelings while reading--that the girls knew too much about the civil rights struggle in their community, that both sisters (despite making some mistakes) were sort of Mary Sues--were touched on in the author's note, where she says that the girls in the book knew more than she and her friends did and that they were braver than she was. My favorite chapter, where Glory, Jesslyn, and Robbie go to Tupelo, was apparently at least somewhat based on life and made me wish that the author had written a book that was perhaps truer to her own experiences. The girls' father is straight up Atticus Finch and their housekeeper Emma is out of central casting--as are the two villains, the socialite and the football player.
March 26, 2015
This is a beautiful book about the personal effects of the civil rights movement on an 11 yr old girl and her town in the deep South in the 60s geared for late middle graders. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a thoughtful, entertaining, and sweet story. I especially liked the flow of the language in the book. The language was pitch perfect for Mississippi in this time period, and at times I could hear my grandmother talking. This book does deal with both the beauty and ugliness that could be found as Jim Crow laws were disbanded in the South so might not be appropriate for young or sensitive middle graders, but it deals with the subject in a sensitive way appropriate for older middle graders.
eta: My 5th grade son just finished this book. He gulped it down in a couple of days and loved it.
eta: My 5th grade son just finished this book. He gulped it down in a couple of days and loved it.
September 16, 2013
Glory loves her summer how it has always been. Swimming at the community pool, sitting under her favorite tree with her friend Frankie, playing “junk poker” with her big sister, and her birthday party on July 4th. So when Summer 1964 comes along, many of those things are gone. The pool is closed and she’s not sure if Frankie is very nice anymore. Her sister is much more interested in her pep squad friends than her little sister, and the 4th of July... you will have to read the book to find out how that goes.
I rated this book a two out of five. It wasn’t my favorite book, because it was slow and not particularly well written. I learned a few things about Segregation and Anti Semitism, which interested me. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy book or some “light” information on Segregation.
I rated this book a two out of five. It wasn’t my favorite book, because it was slow and not particularly well written. I learned a few things about Segregation and Anti Semitism, which interested me. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy book or some “light” information on Segregation.
March 11, 2012
This story is a great starting point for a discussion about the civil rights movement with elementary aged kids. It presents themes of racism, injustice, and the social upheaval of desegregation in the southern US, but without becoming overly frightening or violent. I like that Glory comes to the fight against desegregation not because of high ideals, but because she wants to be able to swim in the community pool; it makes her seem real. The description of the meanness of prejudice was striking, and rang true to what I've seen. I also enjoyed reading about the relationship between Glory and her older sister in a point of transition. There are absolutely ways in which this story could go deeper or be expanded more fully, but as an entry point to the themes, this is a great read.
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