12/10/2018
Woods (Zoe in Wonderland) contemplates American history in this sobering novel set in Birdsong, S.C., during the summer of 1946. On the day that Gabriel, who is white, receives a new bicycle for his 12th birthday, he runs a red light and is nearly struck by a car. Meriwether Hunter, an African-American mechanic who is looking for work, saves him. Gabriel helps Meriwether, a U.S. Army veteran who can fix almost anything, land a job at his father’s auto shop—much to the frustration of another mechanic, who is white, “mean as a raccoon with rabies,” and rumored to have friends in the KKK. Hearing Meriwether’s stories, and taking his advice to “try to see the goings-on of life through more eyes than just your own,” Gabriel is made aware of the divide between the lives of the town’s white and black residents, but his new knowledge might not be enough to save Meriwether and his family from harm. Even readers who have been taught about segregation in the South are likely to deepen their knowledge of the nuanced history through the novel’s handling of how white and African-American veterans were treated differently after WWII. The characters of impressionable Gabriel and Meriwether, whose patience is tried by society’s unfair rules, ring true as the story shows that “the world, including Birdsong USA, isn’t always pretty.” Ages 10–up. (Jan.)
02/01/2019
Gr 4–6—Twelve-year-old Gabriel, who is white, lives in the small, South Carolina town of Birdsong in 1946. His eyes are slowly opened to the realities of Jim Crow through his relationship with Merriweather Hunter, an African American who saves Gabriel's life when he is almost hit by a car. As their friendship deepens and Mr. Hunter and his daughter, Abigail, begin to trust Gabriel, he begins to see some of the oppressive truths of their existence: the need for the Green Book, the danger from white supremacists, the lack of support from the police when they are the victims of crimes, and the need for Mr. Hunter to keep his identity as a World War II veteran secret. When Mr. Hunter and Abigail are targeted by a white supremacist, Gabriel witnesses the fear, pain, anger, and sense of powerlessness faced by African Americans living under Jim Crow. This title presents the reality of racism in the mid-20th century, as seen through the perspective of a young white boy. VERDICT Hand to readers looking for historical fiction or those who enjoy the works of Christopher Paul Curtis and Rita Williams Garcia.—Kristin Lee Anderson, Jackson County Library Services, OR
★ 2018-11-12
If Opie Taylor from The Andy Griffith Show wrote a book about Mayberry's racism, the voice would be that of Gabriel Haberlin, the 12-year-old white boy who is saved from near tragedy by Meriwether Hunter, a "colored" man.
The book opens with the event, when Meriwether, who's begging for a job on Main Street, sees Gabriel pedal through a red light and pushes him out of the way of an oncoming car. The author's use of the word "colored" isn't gratuitous—the book's setting is Birdsong, South Carolina, in 1946. The word also sets the tone of the town's postwar racial references and bigotry, along with The Negro Motorist Green Book, segregated bathrooms, and the way Mrs. Betty Babcock, the white woman who nearly kills Gabriel, addresses Meriwether as "boy." But Gabriel says his parents "taught me differently"—and seeks out Meriwether to offer him a job at his father's garage out of gratitude. After meeting Gabriel's grateful parents, Meriwether accepts the offer—to the spitting contempt of Lucas Shaw, the other mechanic, who's white and rumored to have friends in the Ku Klux Klan. The town's multitudinous racism keeps Meriwether from admitting where he honed his mechanical skills, lest that fact harm him and his family: the Army, where he was a member of the 761st Tank Battalion, also called the Black Panthers. How that fact affects Gabriel and Meriwether's friendship and Birdsong itself makes for an affecting—and realistic—story.
Another stellar outing from the always-solid Woods. (afterword, bibliography) (Historical fiction. 8-12)
Woods casts a much needed spotlight on the history of African-American troops in World War II.”—The New York Times Book Review
“The story encourages trying to consider situations from other people’s perspectives.”—The Washington Post
* “If Opie Taylor from The Andy Griffith Show wrote a book about Mayberry’s racism, the voice would be that of Gabriel Haberlin, the 12-year-old white boy who is saved from near tragedy by Meriwether Hunter, a ‘colored’ man. . . . The author’s use of the word ‘colored’ isn’t gratuitous—the book’s setting is Birdsong, South Carolina, in 1946. The word also sets the tone of the town’s postwar racial references and bigotry. . . . An affecting—and realistic—story. Another stellar outing from the always-solid Woods.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "True friendships defy age, gender, race, and other obstacles. . . . Woods writes an important story of racism in small town, USA in the aftermath of WWII. Told through the eyes of a child, the reader witnesses the confusion and turmoil present within the country and its citizens when black soldiers, who fought for their country’s freedom, returned home and found that they weren’t celebrated as heroes and that their rights were still unequal. Brenda Woods’ characters are complex, yet relatable. Her plot beautifully told, yet heartbreaking. Her message long-standing, yet relevant even today. This is a must-have for all classroom and school libraries and would be an excellent companion book to US history studies of this time period."—School Library Connection, starred review
“Even readers who have been taught about segregation in the South are likely to deepen their knowledge of the nuanced history through the novel’s handling of how white and African-American veterans were treated differently after WWII. The characters of impressionable Gabriel and Meriwether, whose patience is tried by society’s unfair rules, ring true as the story shows that ‘the world, including Birdsong USA, isn’t always pretty.’”—Publishers Weekly
“There are many books that show segregation and its corrosive effects through the eyes of both white and black children, and in Gabriel's engaging first-person narrative, one can almost see the wheels turning as he realizes what life is like for Hunter and his family, especially after he learns the vet can't speak of his distinguished service due to white attitudes. . . . Gabriel's strong and questioning voice will have appeal for middle-graders, and the story will give them a history lesson as well.”—Booklist
“Gabriel witnesses the fear, pain, anger, and sense of powerlessness faced by African Americans living under Jim Crow. This title presents the reality of racism in the mid-20th century, as seen through the perspective of a young white boy. Hand to readers looking for historical fiction or those who enjoy the works of Christopher Paul Curtis and Rita Williams Garcia.”—School Library Journal
