Witness discussion

The book Witness brings to light what African Americans and immigrants, particularly from Eastern Europe, and especially Jews and Catholics faced in the North; deliberately attacked by the Ku Klux clan, a hatred group because they were people of different ethnicity and race. In the voices of eleven residents of the town, they narrate their stories in poetic form. Everything seems to be going fine in a small town in Vermont till the Ku Klux Klan moves in to recruit members. They spread fear and hate for those who are “different” treating them badly, and only doing good for whites. I felt sorry especially for the two youngest, Leonora and Ester because of what they had to deal with. Making it worse they both had no mothers. Leonora could not understand why she was so hated when she had not done anything to them. But she came to learn why and she learned how to deal with it like the adults did. It was so realistic I did not feel like I was reading historical fiction. Each person’s story is interesting – showing those who liked the Ku Klux Klan (like the hypocritical preacher) and those who just despised them. I think it is more appropriate for seventh graders up and can lead into some good discussions in class. It is pretty easy to follow and packed with action which will keep students wanting to read more. It can bring to life something that students have already learned in history class. It provides a look into racism learning more in depth things the Ku Klux Klan did to people of color during that time period. It is a story mixed with good,evil,hatred and love. Overall I enjoyed it. It will be a great book to use in conjunction with class discussions and topics related to racism in the past and present.

It was a good story, but it could have used more detail.