Friday, May 30, 2014

Book Review: Revolution


Title: Revolution
Author: Deborah Wiles
Genre: Historical Fiction
Similar books: If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth
                     One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
                     Are You Experienced by Jordan Sonnenblick
Rating:
Enjoyable and thought-provoking. I wish they taught this stuff better in schools

Summary: Sunny's whole world is changing. Her dad remarried a year ago and his new wife and her two kids are still finding their place in Sunny's family. Its the summer of 1964 in Mississippi and the world seems to be exploding around her. 
My opinion: Two things really impressed me about this book. 1) The prevailing emotion in Greenwood Mississippi was fear. Generally books about integration and race relations are about hate. Wiles puts much more emphasis on fear, which can be just as destructive. 2) Very little changes by the end of the summer. Again, these books tend to end with sweeping changes and new attitudes. The reality is, social changes happen in small steps. Add in Sunny's story of family and social awareness and the great historical documents and ephemera and this one is a definite winner.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

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