Haley Newlin > Recent Status Updates

“The sheriff was always on the side of white people, until white people tried to help Negroes.”

“I’ll tell you honestly, Mr. Loehmann…this doesn’t feel to me like the country we say we are.”

Anne Powell realizing a hard truth Black and Jewish people have always known

Even the “decent” white people fall for lies intended to distract them, like that the NAACP is communist

For the first time, Gloria understood the liberation of having nothing left to lose

The Klan took bets on if Gloria was inside while the cabin burned and if she’d come running out on fire

This scene is so frightening and infuriating

After the Klan burns the cabin, the people of Lower Spruce stand on their porches, armed and ready

“They don’t care who it is—man, woman, or child. Once it starts—they don’t care. They’ll treat you like you ain’t from the same God as them. Like they the devil.”

Miz Lottie on the burning by the klan and mobs of white men

“There would be burning tonight.”

Gloria’s worst fear - the klan

Blue’s revenge and escape plan

Huge twist about the haint Warden Haddock wants most of all. I didn’t see this coming

Warden Haddock disguises threats as favors

Haddock wants to recruit Robert to hunt haints but excuses the spirit of his baby sister, who he might have killed

“I am a man of God and duty” - what a load of bs

Haddock “wasn’t satisfied with beating and hunting boys who were alive: he hunted dead ones too.”

Boone turns their souls to ash and Haddock collects them in a jar. Haddock squeezes every ounce of hurt out of these children, even in death

Boone says finding the haints at the Reformatory was part of his job

Blue warns Robert about Haddock. Says there are worse things than the Funhouse. Things Haddock does that makes you want to curl up and die

The NCAAP lawyer says Robert’s sentence makes sense to white people.

“To sentence a child to six months over a schoolyard kick is to willfully ignore that child’s humanity. To rebuke it.”

Gloria’s faith is broken. She doesn’t think that the same Jesus “who had forsaken Mama might help them get Robbie back.”

There’s so much bad. So much fear. It makes sense that Gloria thinks God has turned his back on her and everyone else suffering. She thinks all God’s love goes to the McCormacks of the world

Papa tells Gloria that he had to walk by a hanging tree every morning on his way to school and sometimes there was still a man hanging from it

Horrific

The first time Robert ever wanted to kill anyone, even thinks it would be worth his own life, too

“If Robert were a conjurer, Haddock would be dead already. The entire shed would be burning, even if he were still inside to burn with it.”

“The dead boys were called every name except Murdered.”

It’s been awhile since a book has made me this emotional. God, this hurts and it’s so powerful

“White men talking about r*pe always led to rope.”

“Stories are dangerous. They can hurt you bad. Get you killed.”

Made me think of banned books

Ms. Lottie says there’s a sickness in Gracetown, a blood sickness, and it’s the worst at The Reformatory

The Funhouse is where they whup you. Boot Hill is where they bury you.

“There’s worse things to worry about than haints.”

If Gloria were white, she’d “walk on air just to see if she could. What was the point of white skin if you couldn’t do whatever you put your mind to.”

Miss Anne hesitates to help Robert

“Don’t listen to them haints. Or you’ll be a haint too.”

Robert stands frozen in Superintendent Haddock’s office, “facing off against a creature that could mail him.”

“Summertime was when the haints came out.”