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Yankee Girl (Usborne Modern Classics): 1
It’s 1964 and Alice has moved to Mississippi from Chicago with her family. Nicknamed ‘Yankee Girl’ and taunted by the in-crowd at school, Alice soon discovers the other new girl Valerie – one of the school’s first black students – has it much worse.
Alice can’t stand the way Valerie is treated, and yet she knows she will remain an outsider if she speaks up. It takes a horrible tragedy to finally give Alice the courage to stand up for what she believes.
Set in the Deep South in the 1960s, Yankee Girl is a powerful, resonant and relevant story about racism and doing the right thing.
Alice can’t stand the way Valerie is treated, and yet she knows she will remain an outsider if she speaks up. It takes a horrible tragedy to finally give Alice the courage to stand up for what she believes.
Set in the Deep South in the 1960s, Yankee Girl is a powerful, resonant and relevant story about racism and doing the right thing.
256 pages, Paperback
First published April 11, 2004
37 people are currently reading
439 people want to read
About the author
Mary Ann Rodman
17 books20 followersMary Ann Rodman, a former school media specialist and university librarian, is the author of First Grade Stinks!, Yankee Girl, and My Best Friend. She has received both the Ezra Jack Keats Award for Outstanding New Picture Book Writer and the Charlotte Zolotow Award. Rodman holds a Masters of Library and Information Science from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and an MFA in Writing for Children from Vermont College.
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October 30, 2013
Two girls. One white, one black. The South and civil rights. Given my own work-in-progress, Half-Truths, how could I not read Yankee Girl?
Drawing upon her own childhood experiences, the author, Mary Ann Rodman, writes in her author's note: "Like Alice (the protagonist), I was the daughter of an FBI agent. In the summer of 1964, my family moved from Chicago to Jackson, Mississippi. My father was one of 150 special agents ordered to Mississippi by President Lyndon Johnson." These agents were assigned after three young civil rights workers who were helping African Americans register to vote, disappeared.
As the title suggests, Yankee Girl is 6th-grade Alice Ann Moxley's story. Her "new normal" opens with the moving truck unloading her bike in front of her new home. Fresh from Chicago, she encounters the Southern drawl, pimento cheese, and whites who call colored people nigras. Her parents are sympathetic to civil rights and Alice is torn between her concern for Valerie, the lone African American girl who integrates her school, and wanting to make friends with the kids in her class who ostracize and mock Valerie.
Alice's internal struggles make up a good part of the novel as the reader sees Alice's awakening to what Valerie experiences. After Alice doesn't stop her classmates from sending Valerie mean Valentines, Valerie stays home from school. When she calls Alice ostensibly to get their math homework, Valerie shares some of her anxiety about her father's upcoming civil rights event with Dr. Martin Luther King. After Valerie shares some of her painful childhood experiences, Alice dreams that Emmett Till challenges her to stand up for her friend.
After Valerie's father dies, she moves out of town and Alice regrets never telling her that she was sorry for not befriending her. But in the final image, Alice moves on to junior high where she meets Valerie's cousin. Despite the whispers of "Nigger lover, nigger lover" all around her, Alice brings the new girl to her cafeteria table, where two of her friends are waiting.
Mary Ann Rodman did such a wonderful job of integrating historical fact with fiction, that I tried googling Valerie's father, Reverend Claymore Taylor. When I couldn't find anything about him, I checked with Mary Ann. She wrote:
"Reverend Taylor is a combination of Medgar Evers and a man named Wharless Jackson, who was my dad's last unsolved case (and never will be solved since all the informants and witnesses are dead or deep into hiding so they will never be found.) Medgar Evers was killed in front of his three children in the driveway of his home (he was the Ms. state president of the NAACP). Jackson was a civil rights activist who worked at the Goodyear Tire plant in Natchez, Ms. Mr. Jackson was promoted to a supervisor's position, the first for a black man in that plant. That night when he got in his truck to go home, he discovered that 'someone' (most likely the KKK) had wired his ignition with dynamite. There was nothing left of him."
At the end of the author's note Mary Ann writes: "My mother once said, 'You know, someday you'll be glad you lived in this time and this place. You are seeing history in the making. You can tell your children and grandchildren about it.'
She was right."
Drawing upon her own childhood experiences, the author, Mary Ann Rodman, writes in her author's note: "Like Alice (the protagonist), I was the daughter of an FBI agent. In the summer of 1964, my family moved from Chicago to Jackson, Mississippi. My father was one of 150 special agents ordered to Mississippi by President Lyndon Johnson." These agents were assigned after three young civil rights workers who were helping African Americans register to vote, disappeared.
As the title suggests, Yankee Girl is 6th-grade Alice Ann Moxley's story. Her "new normal" opens with the moving truck unloading her bike in front of her new home. Fresh from Chicago, she encounters the Southern drawl, pimento cheese, and whites who call colored people nigras. Her parents are sympathetic to civil rights and Alice is torn between her concern for Valerie, the lone African American girl who integrates her school, and wanting to make friends with the kids in her class who ostracize and mock Valerie.
Alice's internal struggles make up a good part of the novel as the reader sees Alice's awakening to what Valerie experiences. After Alice doesn't stop her classmates from sending Valerie mean Valentines, Valerie stays home from school. When she calls Alice ostensibly to get their math homework, Valerie shares some of her anxiety about her father's upcoming civil rights event with Dr. Martin Luther King. After Valerie shares some of her painful childhood experiences, Alice dreams that Emmett Till challenges her to stand up for her friend.
After Valerie's father dies, she moves out of town and Alice regrets never telling her that she was sorry for not befriending her. But in the final image, Alice moves on to junior high where she meets Valerie's cousin. Despite the whispers of "Nigger lover, nigger lover" all around her, Alice brings the new girl to her cafeteria table, where two of her friends are waiting.
Mary Ann Rodman did such a wonderful job of integrating historical fact with fiction, that I tried googling Valerie's father, Reverend Claymore Taylor. When I couldn't find anything about him, I checked with Mary Ann. She wrote:
"Reverend Taylor is a combination of Medgar Evers and a man named Wharless Jackson, who was my dad's last unsolved case (and never will be solved since all the informants and witnesses are dead or deep into hiding so they will never be found.) Medgar Evers was killed in front of his three children in the driveway of his home (he was the Ms. state president of the NAACP). Jackson was a civil rights activist who worked at the Goodyear Tire plant in Natchez, Ms. Mr. Jackson was promoted to a supervisor's position, the first for a black man in that plant. That night when he got in his truck to go home, he discovered that 'someone' (most likely the KKK) had wired his ignition with dynamite. There was nothing left of him."
At the end of the author's note Mary Ann writes: "My mother once said, 'You know, someday you'll be glad you lived in this time and this place. You are seeing history in the making. You can tell your children and grandchildren about it.'
She was right."
September 28, 2017
Another version of this review can be found here.
Received with thanks in exchange for an honest review from Usborne Publishing UK.
tw: racism, racial slurs used in line with the location and era
Yankee Girl follows the story of Alice Ann Moxley, a sixth grader who has just had to move to Mississippi from Chicago with her parents on account of her father, an FBI agent, being assigned to the area to deal with problems due to integration. The year is 1964, and much of what Alice goes through is inspired from what the author herself went through in her childhood. Right off from her first day in Mississippi, Alice sees the difference between there and the North. For one, she is called "Yankee Girl" here, and for another, most people here had little to absolutely no regard for black people.
"If you want to get along around here, don't ever stand up for Martin Luther King or anybody colored."
Alice quickly learns that showing any kind of support to the blacks would lead to one being labelled "Negro-lover", and was the surest way to being a total social outcast. Thus, when her school is integrated and she finds herself with a potential friend in Valerie Taylor, the daughter of an influential black minster, Alice is conflicted- should she do what's right or what's easy? Should she give up her hard-earned place within the in-crowd for this one girl, or should she turn a blind eye on what Valerie is subjected to day in and day out?
Yankee Girl is a very important book because even though it's set in 1964, it's still very much relevant to today's time and happenings. The author does a great job drawing from her experience to build Alice Ann's world, and it's all extremely realistic. The book manages to portray exactly how bad things were in the 1960s, during the time of Martin Luther King's fight for civil rights. Heartbreaking and difficult though the accurate portrayal of prejudice is, we see the importance of making the right choices and standing up for what we believe in. The story rings very true and powerful, most possibly due to it being inspired from what the author herself went through. As she says in the Author's Note,
"My mother once said, 'You know, someday you'll be glad you lived in this time and this place. You are seeing history in the making. You can tell your children and grandchildren about it.'
She was right."
From the Pimento-loving Southerners with the drawl in their speech to the hardworking, resilient and mistreated black people, the characters are all very well fletched out. We sees Alice Ann's character change from the hopeful, enthusiastic, optimistic new kid in school to being unsure about what's happening around her and managing to convince herself that she's doing the right thing, to a more thoughtful friend who doesn't shy away from doing what's really right, even if it means she may not be in the safe zone with the in-crowd. It takes something drastic to make Alice Ann finally see where she went wrong, and her internal struggles and awakening to realize what Valerie goes through- the bullying particularly- are beautifully etched out.
"So this is what it feels like to be in a current event. I'd rather read about it in the newspaper."
Alice Ann has the habit of cutting out headlines from newspapers and pasting them on a scrapbook of sorts. What she first only read about she sees herself soon living through, and she's not particularly pleased with this change. Each chapter starts with a headline from a newspaper, and while most often than not they had no relation to what actually happened in the chapter (I wish they did), they shed some light on what was happening around then.
One wouldn't find it difficult to get lost in this realistic, powerful read, and would ideally walk away with lots of food for thought. The book makes one think about racism, prejudice, privilege, entitlement and more, and while it may not be the easiest read, it sure is a very relevant book to this time and day, and you'd be doing yourself a favor by picking it up as soon as possible. Need more convincing? If you liked The Hate U Give, you'd abso-freaking-lutely love this one!
Received with thanks in exchange for an honest review from Usborne Publishing UK.
tw: racism, racial slurs used in line with the location and era
Yankee Girl follows the story of Alice Ann Moxley, a sixth grader who has just had to move to Mississippi from Chicago with her parents on account of her father, an FBI agent, being assigned to the area to deal with problems due to integration. The year is 1964, and much of what Alice goes through is inspired from what the author herself went through in her childhood. Right off from her first day in Mississippi, Alice sees the difference between there and the North. For one, she is called "Yankee Girl" here, and for another, most people here had little to absolutely no regard for black people.
"If you want to get along around here, don't ever stand up for Martin Luther King or anybody colored."
Alice quickly learns that showing any kind of support to the blacks would lead to one being labelled "Negro-lover", and was the surest way to being a total social outcast. Thus, when her school is integrated and she finds herself with a potential friend in Valerie Taylor, the daughter of an influential black minster, Alice is conflicted- should she do what's right or what's easy? Should she give up her hard-earned place within the in-crowd for this one girl, or should she turn a blind eye on what Valerie is subjected to day in and day out?
Yankee Girl is a very important book because even though it's set in 1964, it's still very much relevant to today's time and happenings. The author does a great job drawing from her experience to build Alice Ann's world, and it's all extremely realistic. The book manages to portray exactly how bad things were in the 1960s, during the time of Martin Luther King's fight for civil rights. Heartbreaking and difficult though the accurate portrayal of prejudice is, we see the importance of making the right choices and standing up for what we believe in. The story rings very true and powerful, most possibly due to it being inspired from what the author herself went through. As she says in the Author's Note,
"My mother once said, 'You know, someday you'll be glad you lived in this time and this place. You are seeing history in the making. You can tell your children and grandchildren about it.'
She was right."
From the Pimento-loving Southerners with the drawl in their speech to the hardworking, resilient and mistreated black people, the characters are all very well fletched out. We sees Alice Ann's character change from the hopeful, enthusiastic, optimistic new kid in school to being unsure about what's happening around her and managing to convince herself that she's doing the right thing, to a more thoughtful friend who doesn't shy away from doing what's really right, even if it means she may not be in the safe zone with the in-crowd. It takes something drastic to make Alice Ann finally see where she went wrong, and her internal struggles and awakening to realize what Valerie goes through- the bullying particularly- are beautifully etched out.
"So this is what it feels like to be in a current event. I'd rather read about it in the newspaper."
Alice Ann has the habit of cutting out headlines from newspapers and pasting them on a scrapbook of sorts. What she first only read about she sees herself soon living through, and she's not particularly pleased with this change. Each chapter starts with a headline from a newspaper, and while most often than not they had no relation to what actually happened in the chapter (I wish they did), they shed some light on what was happening around then.
One wouldn't find it difficult to get lost in this realistic, powerful read, and would ideally walk away with lots of food for thought. The book makes one think about racism, prejudice, privilege, entitlement and more, and while it may not be the easiest read, it sure is a very relevant book to this time and day, and you'd be doing yourself a favor by picking it up as soon as possible. Need more convincing? If you liked The Hate U Give, you'd abso-freaking-lutely love this one!
September 22, 2017
Original Blogpost Of This Review
"What a dumb, idea, white people thinking they were better than black people."
This book is set in the 1960's, its about racism and doing the right thing. It so sooo relevant to today's time and happenings.
Its a story about an eleven year old, sixth grader named Alice set in the year of 1964 and the things she see happening around her. She moves from Chicago to Jackson, Mississippi because her dad is an FBI agent, has been transferred to the area to deal with dissension caused by the civil rights movement.
As soon as she is in Mississippi, she is hit with a blast of racism and hate. She is from North so at first she doesn't understand why their is so much prejudice about people because of their skin color. She is also labeled *Yankee* and almost also treated like an outcast. But someone else has it worse; a new student, Valerie Taylor (a black girl), joins their class, and when their school is “integrated.” The other kids either ignore Valerie or try to make her time at school unbearable. But Valerie never shows any kind of emotion, no matter how bad she is treated. Alice tries to talk to her a few time but always alone. She sees and knows how everything is so wrong but is really afraid to raise her voice in case the hate start to be towards her too.
This book shine a deep and through light on the events of the past. How bad things were back in the 60's when Martin Luther King was fighting for civil rights. It draws from the author's, Mary Ann Rodman own experience and shine a very true and someone true event light upon the situation back in those days. This story rings so true to the heart and make you feel so sad about humanity and the prejudice we live in. But its also about standing up to something. Finding the courage to do the right thing. Believing in what you feel right. This book although heart breakingly accurate talks about important social values, friendship and making good choices.
This book is so soo important to be read and pondered over. I would recommend it to everyone. In the world we need a little bit more of tolerance, understanding, empathy and love regardless of skin colour, gender and religion. And this book is a little piece of hate and discrimination that has happened in the past and is still happening and need to be read to be open eyes too and be diminished.
If you have read and loved the hate u give you will also enjoy and adore this one. In anyway this is a fantastic one if you need to read more about racial discrimination this is the one, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED>
WOW Goosebumps! Rtc!
"What a dumb, idea, white people thinking they were better than black people."
This book is set in the 1960's, its about racism and doing the right thing. It so sooo relevant to today's time and happenings.
Its a story about an eleven year old, sixth grader named Alice set in the year of 1964 and the things she see happening around her. She moves from Chicago to Jackson, Mississippi because her dad is an FBI agent, has been transferred to the area to deal with dissension caused by the civil rights movement.
As soon as she is in Mississippi, she is hit with a blast of racism and hate. She is from North so at first she doesn't understand why their is so much prejudice about people because of their skin color. She is also labeled *Yankee* and almost also treated like an outcast. But someone else has it worse; a new student, Valerie Taylor (a black girl), joins their class, and when their school is “integrated.” The other kids either ignore Valerie or try to make her time at school unbearable. But Valerie never shows any kind of emotion, no matter how bad she is treated. Alice tries to talk to her a few time but always alone. She sees and knows how everything is so wrong but is really afraid to raise her voice in case the hate start to be towards her too.
This book shine a deep and through light on the events of the past. How bad things were back in the 60's when Martin Luther King was fighting for civil rights. It draws from the author's, Mary Ann Rodman own experience and shine a very true and someone true event light upon the situation back in those days. This story rings so true to the heart and make you feel so sad about humanity and the prejudice we live in. But its also about standing up to something. Finding the courage to do the right thing. Believing in what you feel right. This book although heart breakingly accurate talks about important social values, friendship and making good choices.
This book is so soo important to be read and pondered over. I would recommend it to everyone. In the world we need a little bit more of tolerance, understanding, empathy and love regardless of skin colour, gender and religion. And this book is a little piece of hate and discrimination that has happened in the past and is still happening and need to be read to be open eyes too and be diminished.
If you have read and loved the hate u give you will also enjoy and adore this one. In anyway this is a fantastic one if you need to read more about racial discrimination this is the one, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED>
WOW Goosebumps! Rtc!
June 19, 2007
When Alice Moxley moves to Jackson, Mississippi from Chicago, she's stunned at how Negroes are treated. Her father is an FBI agent who's been sent to Mississippi to protect black people who are registering to vote. Soon Alice learns that in order to fit in, you can't be seen as a "Negro-lover". Then Alice learns that her school will be integrated this year. Valerie Taylor, the daughter of an influential black minister, is in her class. And Alice finds herself torn between being part of the popular clique and doing what she knows is right.
I only meant to start this book tonight, but once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. Based on the author's own experiences in Mississippi in the 1960s, this is a very readable story. Alice is a spunky girl trying to find her way in a new school. She doesn't always make the morally right decisions, but by the end of the book she's done what she could to redeem herself.
Readalike suggestions: For more about school integration, suggest A Friendship for Today by Patricia McKissack, Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Patillo Beals, or the brilliant non-fiction Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges. For another story about a girl moving south and starting over, suggest Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume.
I only meant to start this book tonight, but once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. Based on the author's own experiences in Mississippi in the 1960s, this is a very readable story. Alice is a spunky girl trying to find her way in a new school. She doesn't always make the morally right decisions, but by the end of the book she's done what she could to redeem herself.
Readalike suggestions: For more about school integration, suggest A Friendship for Today by Patricia McKissack, Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Patillo Beals, or the brilliant non-fiction Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges. For another story about a girl moving south and starting over, suggest Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume.
July 13, 2021
“don't you be a chicken, alice moxley. remember the alice rules.”
March 13, 2009
Alice Anne Moxley’s family moves to Mississippi in the summer of 1964 when her father, an FBI agent, is reassigned to help protect black people who are registering to vote. Alice is accustomed to moving around because of her father’s work, and she’s ok with making new friends, but the girls she meets that summer and when school starts are not welcoming to outsiders – particularly Yankee girls who love “niggers.” Alice’s only friend is a boy named Jeb who makes it clear that they’re only going to be friends when he feels like acknowledging her. Alice has a hard time adjusting to the loneliness of her new home and the ostracism she experiences from children and adults alike.
Not long after school starts, a new student, Valerie Taylor (a Negro girl), joins their class, and just like that their school is “integrated.” The other kids either ignore Valerie or try to make her time at school unbearable. But Valerie never shows any kind of emotion, no matter what cruelties are perpetrated against her. Alice manages to talk to her a few times and learns that they are both lonely and in a place where they don’t want to be. Alice and Valerie are never able to be friends in the easy way that other kids are, and neither of them is entirely comfortable or willing to make the effort to overcome the negativity that such a relationship would engender. When Valerie’s father is killed in a hate-crime bombing, Alice wants to make amends for not being strong or brave enough, but before she can, Valerie and her remaining family move to New York. The incident, however, is enough to make some of the kids rethink how they’ve treated Valerie, and when Alice starts 7th grade she meets Valerie’s cousin and befriends her.
Alice’s story is based on events that happened to author, Mary Ann Rodman – she also lived in Mississippi during integration, and her father was also an FBI agent who was reassigned to help protect the black people who were just trying to have their equal rights. Alice is a likable character for the most part – she caves a bit to peer pressure, but her inner strength triumphs in the end. This was a really powerful look at not only race relations in the 1960s, but also what it’s like to be a child growing up when “big events” are taking place – you still have all of your kid feelings and emotions, despite the fact that you may be making history. Highly recommended.
Not long after school starts, a new student, Valerie Taylor (a Negro girl), joins their class, and just like that their school is “integrated.” The other kids either ignore Valerie or try to make her time at school unbearable. But Valerie never shows any kind of emotion, no matter what cruelties are perpetrated against her. Alice manages to talk to her a few times and learns that they are both lonely and in a place where they don’t want to be. Alice and Valerie are never able to be friends in the easy way that other kids are, and neither of them is entirely comfortable or willing to make the effort to overcome the negativity that such a relationship would engender. When Valerie’s father is killed in a hate-crime bombing, Alice wants to make amends for not being strong or brave enough, but before she can, Valerie and her remaining family move to New York. The incident, however, is enough to make some of the kids rethink how they’ve treated Valerie, and when Alice starts 7th grade she meets Valerie’s cousin and befriends her.
Alice’s story is based on events that happened to author, Mary Ann Rodman – she also lived in Mississippi during integration, and her father was also an FBI agent who was reassigned to help protect the black people who were just trying to have their equal rights. Alice is a likable character for the most part – she caves a bit to peer pressure, but her inner strength triumphs in the end. This was a really powerful look at not only race relations in the 1960s, but also what it’s like to be a child growing up when “big events” are taking place – you still have all of your kid feelings and emotions, despite the fact that you may be making history. Highly recommended.
February 18, 2014
"What a dumb, idea, white people thinking they were better than black people. But that was all Down South, far away from me. It wasn't my problem. Then we moved to Mississippi...."
Yankee Girl is a novel about a girl named Alice Moxley. Alice's father is an FBI agent, who gets transferred from Chicago to Jackson, Mississippi in the midst of intense racism and violence. Alice struggles to make friends in her 6th grade class, as most of the girls in her class refer to her as "yankee girl". When an African American girl, Valerie, is integrated into her school,and has problems making friends because of her race, Alice thinks she might finally have a shot at having a friend because neither one of them fits in. Unfortunately, Alice thought wrong. She debates on what to do to fit in, either with the other girls in her class, or Valerie. And that means deciding whether or not she's willing to go against her upbringing in order to fit in.
This book talks about important social values, friendship and making good choices. It can be used to help students understand the racial issues that existed in the South during the 1960's and how difficult it was for people to accept integration.
Yankee Girl is a novel about a girl named Alice Moxley. Alice's father is an FBI agent, who gets transferred from Chicago to Jackson, Mississippi in the midst of intense racism and violence. Alice struggles to make friends in her 6th grade class, as most of the girls in her class refer to her as "yankee girl". When an African American girl, Valerie, is integrated into her school,and has problems making friends because of her race, Alice thinks she might finally have a shot at having a friend because neither one of them fits in. Unfortunately, Alice thought wrong. She debates on what to do to fit in, either with the other girls in her class, or Valerie. And that means deciding whether or not she's willing to go against her upbringing in order to fit in.
This book talks about important social values, friendship and making good choices. It can be used to help students understand the racial issues that existed in the South during the 1960's and how difficult it was for people to accept integration.
November 20, 2009
Ages 9+ (racial epithets are in line with the era and location)
It's 1964 and sixth grader Alice has just moved from Chicago to Jackson, Mississippi. Her dad, an FBI agent, has been transferred to the area to deal with strife caused by the civil rights movement. Alice's family has frequently relocated, and making friends has never been a problem - except for now. In the deep South, everything seems different, and Alice is dubbed "Yankee Girl." But she's not the only outcast - integration has hit her elementary school, and "nigra" classmate Valerie Taylor begins to receive the brunt of the abuse. Alice is torn between wanting to reach out to Valerie and her desire to fit in.
Intolerance can be infuriating, and I wanted to slam this book against the nearest hard surface several times. Still, it's a heartbreakingly accurate portrait of the time, and an engrossing one at that. It will take a hard sell to get boys to pick up the hardcover edition, here's hoping the new paperback cover will reach a broader audience.
It's 1964 and sixth grader Alice has just moved from Chicago to Jackson, Mississippi. Her dad, an FBI agent, has been transferred to the area to deal with strife caused by the civil rights movement. Alice's family has frequently relocated, and making friends has never been a problem - except for now. In the deep South, everything seems different, and Alice is dubbed "Yankee Girl." But she's not the only outcast - integration has hit her elementary school, and "nigra" classmate Valerie Taylor begins to receive the brunt of the abuse. Alice is torn between wanting to reach out to Valerie and her desire to fit in.
Intolerance can be infuriating, and I wanted to slam this book against the nearest hard surface several times. Still, it's a heartbreakingly accurate portrait of the time, and an engrossing one at that. It will take a hard sell to get boys to pick up the hardcover edition, here's hoping the new paperback cover will reach a broader audience.
November 28, 2009
The main characters are drawn true to form; the backstory is one which will make any intelligent and caring person angry, but will also make those same people sad because any of this happened. In the midst of the civil rights movement, the murder of three young civil rights workers, and the trials of any black person at that time in Mississippi, is the story of two young girls trying to fit in. Our Yankee Girl from up North wants to be accepted and included with the popular group, and Valerie has to fight to be accepted. Our sense of what's right and good is tried at times, and our knowledge that violence and hatred seemed to almost be everyday occurrences doesn't make it any easier to understand. The author has done a magnificent tour de force.
January 12, 2016
This is a great book to teach people about the time period of the 60's. It tells a story about a girl named Alice and her life after moving to Mississippi. I love the book because it teaches you about the time period realistically but not too harshly (although it does say some inappropriate words.) I would definitely recommend this to girls, because it has some girly situations in it. I would read this book again. Actual rating:4.5
August 17, 2018
This book was, for the most part, fairly interesting. I think, especially for white children, it might be useful as a book that helps them recognise how what they're doing is racist (even though they may not mean for it to be): the complicity they have when they don't speak up for a person of colour being bullied, how they're conditioned to want to 'fit in' (as everyone is) and the negative social rules that can come with that, how people who are harassed/tormented/bullied might feel in such a situation.
But it also can be useful to help them recognise the actions of their peers, what's happening in society, why we do what we do. It was very much a novel focused on how children maintain the racial boundaries without recognising what the morally correct options are and how people who look different from them are equally as human and deserving of such treatment.
That said, I think that's also why I found this to be lacking. There was a huge amount of time where you're meant to feel bad for the main character, and I found those moments frustrating. The sympathy was almost always placed on the white girl whose thoughts often amounted to "I know I shouldn't, but I'm going to anyway" or "I know I should say something, but I'm going to be quiet." It was very rare that fully realised sympathy was given to the singular Black girl in a forcefully integrated school; you saw the torment, but you only saw the glimmers of remorse/regret from the white protagonist in those moments. It really felt quite lacking in the direct emotional response to Valerie. Even the death of her father was turned into a glimpse at her but a full look at "how brave" a white child was for going to the funeral.
The author said that this was the world she grew up in and how she wished she would've responded, but I still felt like Valerie wasn't an entirely realised character. (And even if she was intentionally left to be unrealised to the protagonist, there wasn't nearly enough of her questioning how she knew nothing about Valerie. It was a lot of her pointing out that Valerie kept to herself, etc.)
But it also can be useful to help them recognise the actions of their peers, what's happening in society, why we do what we do. It was very much a novel focused on how children maintain the racial boundaries without recognising what the morally correct options are and how people who look different from them are equally as human and deserving of such treatment.
That said, I think that's also why I found this to be lacking. There was a huge amount of time where you're meant to feel bad for the main character, and I found those moments frustrating. The sympathy was almost always placed on the white girl whose thoughts often amounted to "I know I shouldn't, but I'm going to anyway" or "I know I should say something, but I'm going to be quiet." It was very rare that fully realised sympathy was given to the singular Black girl in a forcefully integrated school; you saw the torment, but you only saw the glimmers of remorse/regret from the white protagonist in those moments. It really felt quite lacking in the direct emotional response to Valerie. Even the death of her father was turned into a glimpse at her but a full look at "how brave" a white child was for going to the funeral.
The author said that this was the world she grew up in and how she wished she would've responded, but I still felt like Valerie wasn't an entirely realised character. (And even if she was intentionally left to be unrealised to the protagonist, there wasn't nearly enough of her questioning how she knew nothing about Valerie. It was a lot of her pointing out that Valerie kept to herself, etc.)
March 22, 2013
I read this book by recommendation of a colleague. The special thing about Yankee Girl is that it is not necessarily an "easy" or "pleasing" book to read. It takes place during the civil rights movement in the deep South. One of the main characters is a girl from the North whose father works as an FBI agent investigating race crimes. There are no easy answers in this book to the difficult problems of the time.
The background and the setting are authentically written - so if you grew up in the 60's and used an iron on your hair or sat on plastic seat covers in the car - or listened to the Beatles - you'll reminisce.
The "N" word is used frequently. The point is to present the ignorance and racism that was rampant at that time. Students 6th grade and up would be able to hear and learn about the hatred this word signifies.
I recommend this book for middle school readers, and/or as a read-aloud for 5th grade. This subject matter would tie in well with lessons/ units involving multicultural or African American studies, relationships, character traits.
I could see an inquiry circle unit based on this book. The books is rich in themes that stem from culture of the South, to culture of the 1960's in addition to the obvious racial topic.
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The background and the setting are authentically written - so if you grew up in the 60's and used an iron on your hair or sat on plastic seat covers in the car - or listened to the Beatles - you'll reminisce.
The "N" word is used frequently. The point is to present the ignorance and racism that was rampant at that time. Students 6th grade and up would be able to hear and learn about the hatred this word signifies.
I recommend this book for middle school readers, and/or as a read-aloud for 5th grade. This subject matter would tie in well with lessons/ units involving multicultural or African American studies, relationships, character traits.
I could see an inquiry circle unit based on this book. The books is rich in themes that stem from culture of the South, to culture of the 1960's in addition to the obvious racial topic.
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January 3, 2015
Sixth-grade Alice did not want to move from Chicago to Jackson, Mississippi where she is called, Yankee, even though it is 1964. The Civil War might be long over, but the Civil Rights War is reaching its boiling point and Alice, who is white, finds herself embroiled in it when her school becomes integrated and a black girl joins her classroom.
Alice is just a kid - nothing special about her - but your heart goes out to her as she worries about her FBI dad's safety, tries repeatedly and fails repeatedly to make friends, and struggles with her conscience and peer pressure.
I kept cheering on for her to do the hard thing - the right thing - to speak up - time after time she failed - because she is so realistic and she is so like us - until finally, she does - and it matters.
Great lines...
"But I'm not doing anything. I'm just listening." (130)
"In Chicago it was easy to say that Southerners were stupid and wrong. Easy to think that you would do things differently. Not so easy in the Russells' living room. Thinking about what other people should do was one thing. Doing it yourself was another" (130).
Lots of hateful language and racist terms (n-word)- a teacher will need to handle this carefully and sensitively.
Alice is just a kid - nothing special about her - but your heart goes out to her as she worries about her FBI dad's safety, tries repeatedly and fails repeatedly to make friends, and struggles with her conscience and peer pressure.
I kept cheering on for her to do the hard thing - the right thing - to speak up - time after time she failed - because she is so realistic and she is so like us - until finally, she does - and it matters.
Great lines...
"But I'm not doing anything. I'm just listening." (130)
"In Chicago it was easy to say that Southerners were stupid and wrong. Easy to think that you would do things differently. Not so easy in the Russells' living room. Thinking about what other people should do was one thing. Doing it yourself was another" (130).
Lots of hateful language and racist terms (n-word)- a teacher will need to handle this carefully and sensitively.
May 13, 2018
Imagine if you were in 6th grade and your father was an FBI agent assigned to Mississippi in 1964. Based upon the author's life, this work of historical fiction offers readers a riveting look into a very difficult period in our history. Unlike "The Watsons Go to Birmingham," "Yankee Girl" takes on racism head on and actually makes the reader uncomfortable. The language of the time is used, which would call for a lot of preteaching in the classroom; the N word is regularly used, as are similar terms that made me squirm. However, historical figures such as Martin Luther King, Lyndon Johnson, and Walter Cronkite lend authenticity to the story and remind the reader that we are, indeed, in a different time period.
What I most liked about this book was the premise that we don't always do the "right thing," even though we know what that thing is. As a child trying to fit into a new environment, the narrator of the story is caught between her conscience and daily events, including peer pressure. It is a great book about personal choices, history, and second chances.
What I most liked about this book was the premise that we don't always do the "right thing," even though we know what that thing is. As a child trying to fit into a new environment, the narrator of the story is caught between her conscience and daily events, including peer pressure. It is a great book about personal choices, history, and second chances.
June 6, 2018
I loved this historical fiction novel based on the life of a young girl, Alice, with an FBI agent father. The family is relocated from the north to the south when racial tensions are at a high, and the protagonist soon learns that the way of living and how people are treated is very different than what she is used to from her home in the north. Alice's classmates quickly start calling her "Yankee Girl" and notice her different ways.
When Valarie Taylor, the first black student to attend Alice's school, starts to also get tormented by her peers, Alice must decide whether she wants to fit in or trust her conscience. This is a wonderful novel that does not shy away from the hate, fear and tragedy that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement. It also addresses many teen issues like peer pressure and friendship.
When Valarie Taylor, the first black student to attend Alice's school, starts to also get tormented by her peers, Alice must decide whether she wants to fit in or trust her conscience. This is a wonderful novel that does not shy away from the hate, fear and tragedy that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement. It also addresses many teen issues like peer pressure and friendship.
September 18, 2011
When Alice moved to Mississippi from Chicago because of her dad, so she had to join a new school. Everything including people and manners were different in Mississippi. She hopes that she will fit in well, and school will be well too. But the first day of school was terrible. People called her 'Yankee girl' and teased how people in Chicago are. Alice is colored, so are the kids in the school. Until one day, a new girl called Valerie, an 'uncolored' girl comes to school. And the moment she comes, Alice starts to actually FIT IN with the cheerleaders(the bullies). But at the same time, is not allowed to talk to Valerie, or she will lose all of her friends. Alice is in the middle of friendships, the most complicated things to solve.
July 6, 2015
This book is for children. I didn’t know that when I bought it from a charity shop but it didn’t really affect my ‘enjoyment’ of the book at all. I put enjoyment in that way because it’s not really possible to enjoy reading a book like this as the subject matter is so difficult but I would recommend it. Sometimes it’s good to be confronted with things that make us uncomfortable and we can be sure that our reactions are the right ones. The language in this book made me uncomfortable, as did the themes, but I’m glad I read it.
June 7, 2008
This was a 2008 Rebecca Caudill. I found this to be an honest look at racial integration in the fifties/sixties. You want the protagonist to be stronger, but she just struggles through her feelings.
March 12, 2020
Great middle-grade novel discussing the tensions in Mississippi in 1964 during integration. A coming of age tale about a girl who knows right from wrong, but struggles to be an ally in a very difficult time in history. Excellent discussion piece for middle school kids!
October 17, 2025
I have not read this book since I was twelve, so it was nice to revisit it nearly two decades later. I honestly like it more as an adult, which is not to say I didn't like it as a preteen. I remember liking it very much, mostly because it was fascinating to me to see people be so openly racist and think to myself (in the way of a sheltered white kid), "I can't believe people used to be so racist! Things are so much better now!" It was a painfully naive way to think, but I was a painfully naive kid. The author's note at the end of the book also implies that racism was essentially fixed in the States because of Martin Luther King, Jr., which is not exactly true, but this is a book written by a white author for white people, so I kind of get where she's coming from.
Something that this book does extraordinarily well is show how hard it is to do the right thing. It's so easy to think that you can do it; it's another thing entirely to actually do it. Again, that message went over my head as a preteen, but now it strongly resonates with me. Alice's desire to befriend Valerie because it's the Right Thing to do, thus becoming even more ostracized, conflicts with her desperate wish to be friends with the popular girls. (Alice's desperate loneliness felt so real it hurt.)
The pacing of this book was great, the tone was never condescending, and I really loved all the nods to 1960s culture. I really loved how the author drew on many aspects of her own childhood growing up in 1960s Mississippi, but the character of Alice never felt like a self-insert. This was a really enjoyable jaunt down Memory Lane.
Something that this book does extraordinarily well is show how hard it is to do the right thing. It's so easy to think that you can do it; it's another thing entirely to actually do it. Again, that message went over my head as a preteen, but now it strongly resonates with me. Alice's desire to befriend Valerie because it's the Right Thing to do, thus becoming even more ostracized, conflicts with her desperate wish to be friends with the popular girls. (Alice's desperate loneliness felt so real it hurt.)
The pacing of this book was great, the tone was never condescending, and I really loved all the nods to 1960s culture. I really loved how the author drew on many aspects of her own childhood growing up in 1960s Mississippi, but the character of Alice never felt like a self-insert. This was a really enjoyable jaunt down Memory Lane.
June 22, 2021
A good book to introduce children to racism and the civil rights movement. I would have like some themes to be more subtle, but it’s what works for children’s literature.
I find going back to those peer pressure years hard. The character of Valerie Taylor was a complete badass. What a hero.
Some of the kids had potencial, the rest unfortunately represented everything that is wrong with America.
I find going back to those peer pressure years hard. The character of Valerie Taylor was a complete badass. What a hero.
Some of the kids had potencial, the rest unfortunately represented everything that is wrong with America.
June 30, 2018
My daughter read this book recently and urged me to read it too (I think because it made a big impression on her and she wanted to discuss it with someone!).
It’s certainly a powerful read. The story is told by eleven year old Alice Ann Moxley, who in 1964 moves from Chicago to Mississippi with her parents - in the wake of violence against those working for civil rights, her FBI agent father has been deployed to help protect them.
Alice has moved a lot - she is confident of her ability to make friends in a new place, but it turns out to be harder than she expected. The social environment in Mississippi is very different to the one she’s used to. When she starts school she finds that her classmates - particularly the popular group called the Cheerleaders - call her Yankee Girl and otherwise ignore her. But that’s nothing compared to the experiences of Valerie Taylor, the first black girl to join the sixth grade at Parnell School. Valerie is the daughter of a high profile minister, Martin Luther King’s right hand man - but to most of her classmates she’s just another Negro, and they don’t want her there - and don’t mind showing it in increasingly unpleasant ways. And plenty of people outside of school don’t want her there, either.
Alice knows people should be equal and Valerie’s treatment is wrong, but she’s torn between supporting her and a desire to fit in. (She’s only eleven, after all.) But it’s not only Valerie and her family at risk - danger, in the form of the Ku Klux Klan, comes terrifyingly close to home.
Will Alice ever be brave enough to speak up for what she knows is right?
Yankee Girl is a hard hitting story and I could see why it made such an impact on my daughter - she knows these things happened, but to see it from the point of view of girls her own age made it extra powerful and there are some genuinely shocking moments. It’s given rise to some interesting conversations about racism, bigotry, equality and standing up for what’s right. My daughter was also very struck by the postscript to the novel in which Mary Ann Rodman describes how her own similar experiences inspired her to write it.
So successful was it in blending fact and fiction that I did have to go and check whether Valerie’s father, Reverend Taylor, was a real person. He’s not - though Emmett Till, the murdered fourteen-year-old boy who haunts Alice’s dreams, was.
A powerful read which ends on a hopeful note and with a sense that even small changes can have major significance. Recommended.
It’s certainly a powerful read. The story is told by eleven year old Alice Ann Moxley, who in 1964 moves from Chicago to Mississippi with her parents - in the wake of violence against those working for civil rights, her FBI agent father has been deployed to help protect them.
Alice has moved a lot - she is confident of her ability to make friends in a new place, but it turns out to be harder than she expected. The social environment in Mississippi is very different to the one she’s used to. When she starts school she finds that her classmates - particularly the popular group called the Cheerleaders - call her Yankee Girl and otherwise ignore her. But that’s nothing compared to the experiences of Valerie Taylor, the first black girl to join the sixth grade at Parnell School. Valerie is the daughter of a high profile minister, Martin Luther King’s right hand man - but to most of her classmates she’s just another Negro, and they don’t want her there - and don’t mind showing it in increasingly unpleasant ways. And plenty of people outside of school don’t want her there, either.
Alice knows people should be equal and Valerie’s treatment is wrong, but she’s torn between supporting her and a desire to fit in. (She’s only eleven, after all.) But it’s not only Valerie and her family at risk - danger, in the form of the Ku Klux Klan, comes terrifyingly close to home.
Will Alice ever be brave enough to speak up for what she knows is right?
Yankee Girl is a hard hitting story and I could see why it made such an impact on my daughter - she knows these things happened, but to see it from the point of view of girls her own age made it extra powerful and there are some genuinely shocking moments. It’s given rise to some interesting conversations about racism, bigotry, equality and standing up for what’s right. My daughter was also very struck by the postscript to the novel in which Mary Ann Rodman describes how her own similar experiences inspired her to write it.
So successful was it in blending fact and fiction that I did have to go and check whether Valerie’s father, Reverend Taylor, was a real person. He’s not - though Emmett Till, the murdered fourteen-year-old boy who haunts Alice’s dreams, was.
A powerful read which ends on a hopeful note and with a sense that even small changes can have major significance. Recommended.
May 20, 2010
I think this book is going to be hard to review. Here goes!
This is a story about a girl from Chicago whose dad works for the FBI. He and his family get sent down to Mississippi so that he can oversee some civil rights movement business. The story, though, is about the daughter and her new life in the South.
The story moved along well. The character development was all right. It was a quick read. I also think that it did portray the time period correctly. The author didn't water anything down - including racial slurs that are still often-used today, the violence that Black people faced in the 60s, and the outrageousness of the South. I have never wanted to live there, ever, and this book just reinforced that.
I had an issue with the main character in that I thought she was a damn fool. For over two-thirds of the book, she tried to fit in with the racist, cruel popular girls in her school. Even though she believed in equal rights, she just HAD to be friends with these terrible girls, and participated in a lot of very mean activities towards the Black girl in her school. It was deplorable and frustrating. It took until the end of chapter 12 for her to finally declare that she hated herself. Come on, girl. I'm not asking you to start a revolution - just find some better friends. Ugh.
Overall, I do think this would be a good book for kids to read so that they know what really went down. I think a lot of kids know about Martin Luther King, that he tried to get equal rights for everyone, but they don't know the animosity he faced every day and how bad it truly was down south. Scary.
This is a story about a girl from Chicago whose dad works for the FBI. He and his family get sent down to Mississippi so that he can oversee some civil rights movement business. The story, though, is about the daughter and her new life in the South.
The story moved along well. The character development was all right. It was a quick read. I also think that it did portray the time period correctly. The author didn't water anything down - including racial slurs that are still often-used today, the violence that Black people faced in the 60s, and the outrageousness of the South. I have never wanted to live there, ever, and this book just reinforced that.
I had an issue with the main character in that I thought she was a damn fool. For over two-thirds of the book, she tried to fit in with the racist, cruel popular girls in her school. Even though she believed in equal rights, she just HAD to be friends with these terrible girls, and participated in a lot of very mean activities towards the Black girl in her school. It was deplorable and frustrating. It took until the end of chapter 12 for her to finally declare that she hated herself. Come on, girl. I'm not asking you to start a revolution - just find some better friends. Ugh.
Overall, I do think this would be a good book for kids to read so that they know what really went down. I think a lot of kids know about Martin Luther King, that he tried to get equal rights for everyone, but they don't know the animosity he faced every day and how bad it truly was down south. Scary.
October 24, 2010
A compelling story about Alice Ann Moxley, whose FBI-agent father has just been transferred from Chicago to Jackson, Mississippi in 1964. Alice is used to moving and usually has no difficulty making new friends, but life in Jackson is so different. Why can't white people ride the bus? Why did her neighbor, Jeb, reprimand her for introducing herself to his family's black maid? Why is "that's the way it's always been" an acceptable explanation? Nicknamed "Yankee Girl" by her classmates and generally excluded from their activities, Alice longs to be accepted. When her sixth grade class is integrated with the addition of Valerie Taylor, Alice finds herself in an increasingly uncomfortable position. She wants to fit in with her white classmates, but she is appalled by their cruel treatment of Valerie. Privately, Alice reaches out to Valerie but is rebuffed. Valerie has stoically endured the abuse but also resents the role she is forced to play as the daughter of a prominent Civil Rights leader. At the end of the book Valerie's father is killed by a car bomb, and one of the sixth grade teachers is arrested as an accomplice to the Ku Klux Klan members who were responsible. Although this book does not have the emotional depth and intensity of The Watsons Go to Birmingham, it is a realistic and upsetting account of racial prejudice and hatred. The author has done a good job of portraying characters with a variety of attitudes and opinions and Alice's growth seems right on target. This novel would be an excellent one to compare to The Watsons Go to Birmingham, with the connection to the Civil Rights movement, or Bystander, with a focus on bullying.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2017
A book about racism and the horrible conditions the people faced during the 1960s in the deep south.
A very interesting and BEAUTIFUL book that taught me lots, I didnt even know that such dire conditions of racism ever existed in the world, ah. The book was an eye opener, not just about racism but the fact that we NEED TO DO THE RIGHT THING no matter what. Follow your instinct and don't care what others say, or it might be too late!
This story talks about a girl who moves to mississipi from Chicago with her family. She is labeled and judged by the students at her new school for being from chicago and is given a nickname "Yankee Girl". And she is probably the only person who believes in equal rights for black people. She soon discovers that doing the right thing is not very easy especially because of peer pressure she faces and the mindset of the society in Mississippi! Trying to help the only black girl in her grade, Valerie, Alice (Yankee girl) fails because she cares too much of what people think! But atleast in the end she realises it and finally does the right thing.
A beautiful and heart touching story about fighting for justice and equality. Taught me a lot and I enjoyed it too! Was nice, reading something different for a change, I really liked this book and I would highly recommend you to read it too.
A huge thanks to the lovely publishers, usborneya for a review copy!
A very interesting and BEAUTIFUL book that taught me lots, I didnt even know that such dire conditions of racism ever existed in the world, ah. The book was an eye opener, not just about racism but the fact that we NEED TO DO THE RIGHT THING no matter what. Follow your instinct and don't care what others say, or it might be too late!
This story talks about a girl who moves to mississipi from Chicago with her family. She is labeled and judged by the students at her new school for being from chicago and is given a nickname "Yankee Girl". And she is probably the only person who believes in equal rights for black people. She soon discovers that doing the right thing is not very easy especially because of peer pressure she faces and the mindset of the society in Mississippi! Trying to help the only black girl in her grade, Valerie, Alice (Yankee girl) fails because she cares too much of what people think! But atleast in the end she realises it and finally does the right thing.
A beautiful and heart touching story about fighting for justice and equality. Taught me a lot and I enjoyed it too! Was nice, reading something different for a change, I really liked this book and I would highly recommend you to read it too.
A huge thanks to the lovely publishers, usborneya for a review copy!
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September 17, 2018Yankee Girl is the story of Alice Ann Moxley, daughter of an FBI agent who moves to Mississippi during the height of the civil rights era. She is 11 and deals with trying to make friends but also staying true to the beliefs she is being taught at home.
It’s hard to rate this book. I have an aversion to books about this time period because of the language that I don’t want preserved, but also that in documenting the horrible things people did sometimes it creates ideas. This would definitely be a book to discuss, but I don’t want to say those words aloud and I don’t want my children to read them. Where that leaves me, I don’t know. We do discuss this time period often and how it shows clear problems today that have never really gone away.
I did feel for the character in his horror and shock seeing people she liked be ignorant, vapid and dangerous towards African Americans. That is definitely happening now.
It’s hard to rate this book. I have an aversion to books about this time period because of the language that I don’t want preserved, but also that in documenting the horrible things people did sometimes it creates ideas. This would definitely be a book to discuss, but I don’t want to say those words aloud and I don’t want my children to read them. Where that leaves me, I don’t know. We do discuss this time period often and how it shows clear problems today that have never really gone away.
I did feel for the character in his horror and shock seeing people she liked be ignorant, vapid and dangerous towards African Americans. That is definitely happening now.
June 27, 2017
The more I think about this book, the more I realize it was exceptional. The 1964 Mississippi culture seen through the eyes of a Chicago girl is startling; and main character Alice's thoughts and actions are so true for an 11 year old girl in a new school. This is a book that shouldn't be missed in a study of the Civil Rights movement. A caution, however, about the realistic language.
And one complaint: the newspaper headlines at the start of every chapter didn't add to the story. I wanted to know more about each headline, but it was rarely included in the chapters.
And one complaint: the newspaper headlines at the start of every chapter didn't add to the story. I wanted to know more about each headline, but it was rarely included in the chapters.
April 19, 2018
This book was pretty good, it was a little slow at first though. Yankee Girl is about a 11 year old girl named Alice, she is moving up south and things are different. Up north they did not have slaves, but in the south they do. When Alice starts at a new school, everyone calls her yankee girl, she doesn't like it but she learns to deal with it. She makes some friends, makes the cheerleading team. This was an historical fiction, and I really recommend this to people who want to try to get into historical fiction books.
February 6, 2017
YANKEE GIRL, based on author Mary Ann Rodman's childhood experiences, would make an excellent book to be taught in middle school in cross-scholastic studies of Social Studies and English. This is a compassionate (tear-jerker) story that children and teens can relate to. #civilrights #diversity
I bought and read this book when it came out, but felt the need to write a review now that children, teens, teachers & parents are looking for books about Civil Rights.
I bought and read this book when it came out, but felt the need to write a review now that children, teens, teachers & parents are looking for books about Civil Rights.
August 31, 2011
I was between a 3 and a 4 for this one so I decided to go 4! i enjoyed reading this book. Although thats crazy to say since this book is full of very sad south racist awfulness. Kim read the back and wondered what kind of racist book i was read. Anywho it was a good little book.
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