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Equal
Here is a riveting coming-of-age story about the importance of staying true to yourself and the essential power of friendship in this fifth and final title in the popular Bakers Mountain Stories series.
It's the summer of 1959 at the foot of Bakers Mountain in western North Carolina when 13-year-old Jackie Honeycutt first bumps into Thomas Freeman fishing on the riverbank. They hit it off, and Jackie hopes the two of them can be friends. But Jackie is white, and Thomas is Black -- and Jackie quickly learns their growing friendship won't be easy. North Carolina is the focus of the growing civil rights movement, and through his friendship with Thomas, Jackie experiences racism and prejudice first-hand through bullying at school, family turmoil and pressure from his community. Can Jackie free both his conscience and his voice - and ultimately do what's right?
356 pages, Paperback
Published November 8, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 23, 2021
An entertaining story for those 10 years and up, shows the awakening of a 14 year old boy living in Baker Mountain, near Greensboro, N.C. in 1959. When a neighbor boy is at his fishing hole, Jackie strikes up conversation and he's open to friendship but Thomas, a young black boy a year older is suspicious of Jackie's true intentions. An incident follows where an older man attempts to assault Thomas and emotions run high.
Soon after, Jackie learns that his favorite sister, Ellie has become active in the civil rights activities including sit-in's near Wake Forest where she attends. Her enthusiasm and angst at the differences in treatment of black people make Jackie analyze and explore his own attitudes and beliefs, particularly in light what happened to Thomas at the fishing hole. Confronted with some of his own behaviors toward others of all stations and colors, Jackie begins to change his thoughts and actions.
This was a glorious story about taking an inventory of who we are, how we act and how we would like to be. As Jackie changes so do others around him, including other family members and fellow students, even Thomas. There were a number of events that demonstrate how new attitudes shape our communities, understanding passive resistance and trying to see things from other's viewpoint. I loved the storyline and the characters were dynamic.
My only criticism though very modest is that Jackie sounded like he was about 8 years old instead of 14 until the very end of the story. Since this is written as a story for children, that may be unnoticeable to them or perhaps it was the author's intention.
Highly recommend for all ages since it truly delivers an ageless message!
Soon after, Jackie learns that his favorite sister, Ellie has become active in the civil rights activities including sit-in's near Wake Forest where she attends. Her enthusiasm and angst at the differences in treatment of black people make Jackie analyze and explore his own attitudes and beliefs, particularly in light what happened to Thomas at the fishing hole. Confronted with some of his own behaviors toward others of all stations and colors, Jackie begins to change his thoughts and actions.
This was a glorious story about taking an inventory of who we are, how we act and how we would like to be. As Jackie changes so do others around him, including other family members and fellow students, even Thomas. There were a number of events that demonstrate how new attitudes shape our communities, understanding passive resistance and trying to see things from other's viewpoint. I loved the storyline and the characters were dynamic.
My only criticism though very modest is that Jackie sounded like he was about 8 years old instead of 14 until the very end of the story. Since this is written as a story for children, that may be unnoticeable to them or perhaps it was the author's intention.
Highly recommend for all ages since it truly delivers an ageless message!
November 1, 2021
In summer 1959, at the foot of Baker’s Mountain, North Carolina, Jackie Honeycutt’s biggest concern is winning a blue ribbon at the fair with his cow, Lucy. Then he meets Thomas Freeman while fishing at the creek bank, and his horizons begin to expand. Jackie is white and Thomas is Black, and Jackie begins to realize that although they live in the same town, their worlds are far apart. When Jackie’s sister, Ellie, begins to get involved in the Civil Rights Movement at college, Jackie starts to step outside his close-knit circle. At the same time, Jackie is dealing with a bully at school, and someone is trying to kill Lucy! Can Jackie and Thomas solve the mystery?
This is a fantastic middle grade historical novel that takes us straight to the civil rights movement of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Through Jackie and Ellie, we learn of four African American students who sat at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, NC, asking to be served. We see the heroic efforts of Martin Luther King, Jr. and others. We see the peaceful protests growing. As the student protests expand and Ellie gets involved, Jackie becomes more and more willing to speak out. Through the friendship of Thomas and Jackie and the town’s reaction to it, we see how trust was difficult and justice was rare for people of color in those days. This is an important book with engaging characters that teaches middle-graders about the history of the Civil Rights Movement in a real and memorable way. As a caution, it is noted that terms and language of the 1960s are used when referring to African Americans.
I received a free copy from Calkins Creek Publishers via Historical Novels Review magazine.
This is a fantastic middle grade historical novel that takes us straight to the civil rights movement of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Through Jackie and Ellie, we learn of four African American students who sat at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, NC, asking to be served. We see the heroic efforts of Martin Luther King, Jr. and others. We see the peaceful protests growing. As the student protests expand and Ellie gets involved, Jackie becomes more and more willing to speak out. Through the friendship of Thomas and Jackie and the town’s reaction to it, we see how trust was difficult and justice was rare for people of color in those days. This is an important book with engaging characters that teaches middle-graders about the history of the Civil Rights Movement in a real and memorable way. As a caution, it is noted that terms and language of the 1960s are used when referring to African Americans.
I received a free copy from Calkins Creek Publishers via Historical Novels Review magazine.
January 21, 2022
Equal is the fifth book in Joyce Moyer Hostetter's excellent Baker's Mountain Stories series. The first book I read was Blue, set in Hickory, NC, in the midst of the Polio Epidemic of 1944. Told to be the man of the house while her father is off fighting in WWII, Ann Fay Honeycutt, 13, is diagnosed with polio and the novel follows her treatment and recovery. The next book is a prequel, set in 1941 and tells the story of ninth grader Junior Bledsoe, who needs to solve the mystery of how his abusive father died while grappling with the changes and challenges this brings his life. Book 3, Comfort, returns to Ann Fay's story. She home from the polio hospital and finding it difficult to fit into her old life. WWII has ended and her father has returned from fighting in Europe and is suffering severe PTSD. The fourth book, Drive, brings the Honeycutt family in the 1950s. Ann Fay's younger twin sisters, high schoolers Ida and Ellie are beginning to grow apart, but both like the same boy. Ellie is the driven-to-achieve twin, while Ida is more laid back. Their father is still suffering with PTSD, and taking up a lot of their mother's time, along with Jackie, 6, the youngest Honeycutt. And Ann Fay and Junior Bledsoe decide to get married. Plus, it is the year that the Hickory Motor Speedway, the birthplace of NASCAR stars, opened and Junior is an automobile mechanic.
And that short summary leads readers to Equal, set in 1959. Jackie, the youngest of the Honeycutt children and a rising eight grader, has one thing on his mind - entering his beloved cow Lucy into the 4-H dairy contest at the upcoming fair. But, he is reminded by Thomas Freeman, a Black kid he doesn't really know, about the Lutzes, who always walk away with first place. Thomas is into birdwatching and bird calling, and not much interested in the friendship Jackie is offering.
But at the river one day, while the two kids are fishing, a drunk old man goes after Thomas for being on the riverbank with a white boy, throwing his empty liquor bottle at him, hitting him in the side of the head. The incident jolts Jackie's own memory of a time when he threw an apple at the Black kids waiting for their school bus and hit Thomas in the back of his head. Jackie knows he should say something to Thomas, but is too ashamed to bring it up with him.
1959 sees a lot of unrest in the world: the cold war between the Russians and the United States, the growing Civil Rights Movement and angry white supremacists, and locally for Jackie, it's an enemy in class named Dennis Aiken. All of which prompts his teacher to put a quote from Abraham Lincoln on the blackboard: "Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?" for her class to think about.
Little by little, Jackie becomes more aware of the constant fear that the Freeman's and other Black families live with. His sister, Ellie, is working for a Black attorney in the Civil Right's movement and friends with his daughter, Maribelle Bradley. When she invites them to stop at the Honeycutt house on their way to a protest that turns into an overnight visit, it becomes surprising but enlightening visit for the Honeycutts, for which they pay a big price afterwards.
Although Lucy didn't win the 4-H contest, Jackie is still proud of his cow. But after the Bradley's visit, someone tries to poison Lucy by feeding her a poisonous branch from a yew tree, and no one can figure who or why. But when the Freeman's cow is found dead also from a branch of a yew tree, it looks like both incidents are related. Will Jackie and Thomas be able to solve this mystery before there are any more incidents?
One of the nice things about reading the Bakers Mountain stories is that they can be read as a series, or as a stand alone novel. Each one provides enough background to know who is who and what has happened. The other nice thing is that these are really excellent historical fiction novels. Author Joyce Moyer Hostetter has managed to incorporate the most important international, national, and local events into the lives of the Honeycutts in each of the novels and shows how these events impacts the lives of even the most ordinary citizens, and she includes enough back matter about each event in every book for the reader.
The Lincoln quote permeates the novel, and forces Jackie and his parents to rethink their view of who is a friend and who is an enemy and why. I was relieved that is isn't a white savior book. Jackie changes and grows by seeing how the Freeman and the Bradley families live their lives and their truths and not by being put in the position of having to educate the Honeycutts. Instead, Jackie and his parents learn to have empathy for their new friends after getting to know them. For example, Jackie's dad and Mr. Bradley were both soldiers in WWII and could empathize with each other over their experience and resulting PTSD.
Equal is a well-written, well-researched novel that will no doubt at times touch the readers heartstrings. It is an emotional journey for Jackie, but in the end, he is a much better person for it and so are we for having traveled his journey with him.
This book was an eARC gratefully received from Edelweiss+
And that short summary leads readers to Equal, set in 1959. Jackie, the youngest of the Honeycutt children and a rising eight grader, has one thing on his mind - entering his beloved cow Lucy into the 4-H dairy contest at the upcoming fair. But, he is reminded by Thomas Freeman, a Black kid he doesn't really know, about the Lutzes, who always walk away with first place. Thomas is into birdwatching and bird calling, and not much interested in the friendship Jackie is offering.
But at the river one day, while the two kids are fishing, a drunk old man goes after Thomas for being on the riverbank with a white boy, throwing his empty liquor bottle at him, hitting him in the side of the head. The incident jolts Jackie's own memory of a time when he threw an apple at the Black kids waiting for their school bus and hit Thomas in the back of his head. Jackie knows he should say something to Thomas, but is too ashamed to bring it up with him.
1959 sees a lot of unrest in the world: the cold war between the Russians and the United States, the growing Civil Rights Movement and angry white supremacists, and locally for Jackie, it's an enemy in class named Dennis Aiken. All of which prompts his teacher to put a quote from Abraham Lincoln on the blackboard: "Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?" for her class to think about.
Little by little, Jackie becomes more aware of the constant fear that the Freeman's and other Black families live with. His sister, Ellie, is working for a Black attorney in the Civil Right's movement and friends with his daughter, Maribelle Bradley. When she invites them to stop at the Honeycutt house on their way to a protest that turns into an overnight visit, it becomes surprising but enlightening visit for the Honeycutts, for which they pay a big price afterwards.
Although Lucy didn't win the 4-H contest, Jackie is still proud of his cow. But after the Bradley's visit, someone tries to poison Lucy by feeding her a poisonous branch from a yew tree, and no one can figure who or why. But when the Freeman's cow is found dead also from a branch of a yew tree, it looks like both incidents are related. Will Jackie and Thomas be able to solve this mystery before there are any more incidents?
One of the nice things about reading the Bakers Mountain stories is that they can be read as a series, or as a stand alone novel. Each one provides enough background to know who is who and what has happened. The other nice thing is that these are really excellent historical fiction novels. Author Joyce Moyer Hostetter has managed to incorporate the most important international, national, and local events into the lives of the Honeycutts in each of the novels and shows how these events impacts the lives of even the most ordinary citizens, and she includes enough back matter about each event in every book for the reader.
The Lincoln quote permeates the novel, and forces Jackie and his parents to rethink their view of who is a friend and who is an enemy and why. I was relieved that is isn't a white savior book. Jackie changes and grows by seeing how the Freeman and the Bradley families live their lives and their truths and not by being put in the position of having to educate the Honeycutts. Instead, Jackie and his parents learn to have empathy for their new friends after getting to know them. For example, Jackie's dad and Mr. Bradley were both soldiers in WWII and could empathize with each other over their experience and resulting PTSD.
Equal is a well-written, well-researched novel that will no doubt at times touch the readers heartstrings. It is an emotional journey for Jackie, but in the end, he is a much better person for it and so are we for having traveled his journey with him.
This book was an eARC gratefully received from Edelweiss+
May 12, 2021
EQUAL is the story of two boys--one white and one Black--becoming friends despite their differences, hard feelings, and an act of senseless prejudice. But that only scratches the surface.
EQUAL is also about what it was like to live in a small, rural town in North Carolina in 1960 on the eve of civil rights. Segregation was the norm. As 8th-grader Jackie Honeycutt finds out, the atmosphere of prejudice not only dictates what school and church Jackie attends, but it leaves his new Black acquaintance, Thomas Freeman, and his family in constant fear of potential harm to themselves or their property.
Mrs. Cunningham, Jackie's teacher, begins the school year by writing Abraham Lincoln's quote on the chalkboard: "Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them into my friends?" This question haunts Jackie throughout the book and (as you can tell from the cover) is EQUAL's theme. Jackie wrestles with jealousy towards other kids at the 4-H competition; he struggles with anger towards a classmate who constantly mocks him; and he feels irritated towards the woman who leads the local Home Demonstration club and snubs his mother. But most of all, he has to come to resolve that dilemma with Thomas. It is not until he truly empathizes with Thomas and Thomas's family does he realize how he can answer Lincoln's rhetorical question.
In the last third of the book Jackie is staring at Bakers Mountain from his front porch and thinks, "One thing I was figuring out was--as long as white people didn't know Negroes personally, we could never understand their viewpoint. Thomas had educated me on things I never even thought about before." (p.206) That is Jackie's moment of truth which leads to actions that surprise him, are character-revealing, and lead to the wonderful conclusion.
I have blogged before about the importance of making secondary characters a vital part of the story; there are many other characters in EQUAL who are strong and well-crafted. Readers will be happy to see Ann Fay get reunited with Imogene, her friend from the polio ward in BLUE and now she and Junior are happily married (finally)! But the other person in EQUAL who I want to mention is Jackie's mother. Her character arc is shown as she goes from being afraid of what her neighbors will think when a Black family spends the night during a snow storm to saying to Jackie, "Your father and I have been wrong. I was wrong for letting Blanche scare me away from doing the right thing. I believed her when she said poeple would think we're communists. And she was always saying integration could bring violence. I was scared, Jackie."
That conversation ends with her encouraging Jackie to invite Thomas over so she can really meet him. Jackie doesn't know it--but his learning to make friends with his enemies--changed not only him--but his parents too.
EQUAL is also about what it was like to live in a small, rural town in North Carolina in 1960 on the eve of civil rights. Segregation was the norm. As 8th-grader Jackie Honeycutt finds out, the atmosphere of prejudice not only dictates what school and church Jackie attends, but it leaves his new Black acquaintance, Thomas Freeman, and his family in constant fear of potential harm to themselves or their property.
Mrs. Cunningham, Jackie's teacher, begins the school year by writing Abraham Lincoln's quote on the chalkboard: "Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them into my friends?" This question haunts Jackie throughout the book and (as you can tell from the cover) is EQUAL's theme. Jackie wrestles with jealousy towards other kids at the 4-H competition; he struggles with anger towards a classmate who constantly mocks him; and he feels irritated towards the woman who leads the local Home Demonstration club and snubs his mother. But most of all, he has to come to resolve that dilemma with Thomas. It is not until he truly empathizes with Thomas and Thomas's family does he realize how he can answer Lincoln's rhetorical question.
In the last third of the book Jackie is staring at Bakers Mountain from his front porch and thinks, "One thing I was figuring out was--as long as white people didn't know Negroes personally, we could never understand their viewpoint. Thomas had educated me on things I never even thought about before." (p.206) That is Jackie's moment of truth which leads to actions that surprise him, are character-revealing, and lead to the wonderful conclusion.
I have blogged before about the importance of making secondary characters a vital part of the story; there are many other characters in EQUAL who are strong and well-crafted. Readers will be happy to see Ann Fay get reunited with Imogene, her friend from the polio ward in BLUE and now she and Junior are happily married (finally)! But the other person in EQUAL who I want to mention is Jackie's mother. Her character arc is shown as she goes from being afraid of what her neighbors will think when a Black family spends the night during a snow storm to saying to Jackie, "Your father and I have been wrong. I was wrong for letting Blanche scare me away from doing the right thing. I believed her when she said poeple would think we're communists. And she was always saying integration could bring violence. I was scared, Jackie."
That conversation ends with her encouraging Jackie to invite Thomas over so she can really meet him. Jackie doesn't know it--but his learning to make friends with his enemies--changed not only him--but his parents too.
December 27, 2021
Apparently, I've missed something special since I had not heard of this Bakers Mountain Stories series until I read this one, the fifth and final title. If the others are anything as near as engaging as this one, then I will certainly need to go back and read them as well. Set in Hickory, North Carolina from August 1959 to June 1960, the book follows the growth of thirteen-year-old Jackie Honeycutt, the youngest in his family. Over the course of a year, he has his consciousness raised about civil rights issues, peaceful resistance, losing with grace, and his own responsibility for some of the wrongs that exist in the world. Partly because of his older sister, Ellie, and her involvement in the civil rights movement, a caring and aware teacher, Mrs. Cunningham, and his growing friendship with Thomas Freeman, a Black boy who resists his overtures of friendship, Jackie revises his world view and his notions about whom the enemy is. It takes almost the entire book for him to admit his own culpability in matters, finally owning up to his own thoughtless actions toward Thomas before he got to know him. Many readers will be able to relate to Jackie and his inability to keep his thoughts to himself even when they have dire consequences for those around him as well as the gradual unfolding of this friendship even while the world around the Honeycutts is slowly--or rapidly, depending on one's perspective--changing. This is a lovely, well-written story sure to stir many emotions in readers while taking them back in time during the period when lunch counters were the subject of protests and activism. And it's important also to consider the challenge families such as Thomas's faced in deciding what would be worth standing up for or speaking out against.
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July 31, 2021I was so excited to win this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I anxiously waited for it to arrive so I could dive in and begin reading. I was not disappointed at all. Good things come to those who wait. I loved this story about Jackie and his family as they learn to navigate the tumultuous times they live in. I enjoy reading about each of the characters and how their opinions differ and how they often learn from each other. I, also, liked reading about characters that have character flaws, then you see how life's difficulties made them the way they are. A story of friendship, love for your family and community. A story of standing up for one's beliefs and doing what is right even in the face of adversity. A story of encouragement and hope for our future.
September 3, 2021
This was tied for favorite book with Drive. I was and still am sad that this was the final one she was writing. Good ending though. I like that all the titles may have been ones that you would not have guessed. I also liked the action, and that it kept me hooked. I wanted to finish them all. I had one of my fifth grade teachers that let me read all of these. They were her copies. I am very thankful that she let me read them all. I had a goal that I was going to finish all these books before the last day of school which was June 2nd, 2021. I got it on May 28, 2021, and finished it on May 30, 2o21.
April 7, 2021
It's 1959 in North Carolina when a 13-year old white boy names Jackie Honeycutt meets a Black boy named Thomas Freeman at a local fishing spot. Just as a friendship between the boys is about to begin, an act of racism occurs. Meanwhile, Jackie's older sister is involved with the civil rights movement while away at college. She inspires Jackie to work towards equality in his own hometown. Time and time again, Jackie encounters resistance from his classmates and his community, but he isn't one to give up when he knows in his heart that equality shouldn't be just a dream.
I really liked this book and want to read the rest of this series! (I had never even heard of the author or the series prior to reading this.) My only negative comment about it is that the Black character, Thomas, didn't have a voice. This book would have been so much more powerful as a dual narrative.
A huge thank you to the publisher, Astra Publishing House, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
I really liked this book and want to read the rest of this series! (I had never even heard of the author or the series prior to reading this.) My only negative comment about it is that the Black character, Thomas, didn't have a voice. This book would have been so much more powerful as a dual narrative.
A huge thank you to the publisher, Astra Publishing House, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
July 10, 2021
I read the last book in the series first! But I was instantly sucked into the world and mind of a 13-year-old boy in 1959 North Carolina who is trying to figure out how he feels about the integration movement.
April 25, 2022
Historical fiction taking place during the 1959-1960 school year, looks at how the Cold War and racial inequality affects a small North Carolina community and one eighth grade boy who is determined to make a difference.
July 13, 2021
I had never even heard of the author or the series prior to reading this.I really liked this book and want to read the rest of this series .
August 11, 2021
I forced myself to set this book down about 70 pages in....so I could buy more books by the author. I absolutely loved this and I can't wait to read the others!!!
September 16, 2021
A wonderful read.
February 16, 2022
Seriously, if you have not read one of Joyce Meyer Hostetter's books you are missing out. This is her fifth and final book in the Baker Mountain Stories series. I learned about her when my oldest received the book Blue as a gift from the county library in his 3rd grade class many years ago as she is a local author. Her books are powerful for the young reader. This one was no different.
This book takes places in the foothills of the NC Mountains in the late 1950's during a time when friendships between black kids and white kids were unheard of. In the story Jackie and Thomas become friends despite the odds. They navigate through the tough the pressure of their friendship at school and in the community.. Jackie sees first hand the inequities that Thomas and his family constantly face. This is definitely a must read book with strong characters.
Thank you to Astra Publishing for the #gifted copy of the book.
This book takes places in the foothills of the NC Mountains in the late 1950's during a time when friendships between black kids and white kids were unheard of. In the story Jackie and Thomas become friends despite the odds. They navigate through the tough the pressure of their friendship at school and in the community.. Jackie sees first hand the inequities that Thomas and his family constantly face. This is definitely a must read book with strong characters.
Thank you to Astra Publishing for the #gifted copy of the book.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews