Gray Baby

November 1, 2009
Gr 7 Up-Clifton Carlson is a gray baby, a racially mixed child. He doesn't think of himself, or anyone else for that matter, as either black or white, but he knows the cruelty of racism. He witnessed his black dad's brutal murder at the hands of white police officers when he was only six years old and now, ten years later, Clifton is often tormented by a high school classmate. Haunted by the loss of his father, and neglected by his alcoholic mother, he feels adrift and disconnected. Desperate for intimacy, he writes a letter, stuffs it into a wine bottle, and throws it into the river, where it's retrieved by an old man who's equally starved for companionship. The two strike up an unlikely friendship that reveals painful secrets, heals old wounds, and helps each to grow into a better man, especially when Clifton finds himself in a situation where he has to seek help from the same police who killed his father. Sanders has written a beautiful novel that explores the power of forgiveness and demonstrates that it's not what happens to you that shapes who you become, but rather the choices you make in response."Terri Clark, Smoky Hill Library, Centennial, CO"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2009
Grades 8-12 In 1980, when he was six years old, Clifton saw his black father beaten to death by white policemen near his home in rural Virginia. Now, ten years later, Cliftons white mom is depressed and alcoholic. At school, Clifton is tormented by bullies who call him racist names, such as oreo. In his loneliness, he sends messages in a bottle down the river, which eventually lead to a friendship with elderly Swamper. After a young child goes missing, Clifton glimpses her abuser, but he is afraid to go to the police, and he looks for guidance from Swamper, setting off a chain of discoveries. The violence is horrifying, and it reaches far back into the past as Clifton visits sites such as the Killing Pit, where slaves were once forced to fight to the death. The storys resolution is jarringly clean, with simplistic coincidences leading to blissful happiness. What will hold readers is the history, the strong sense of place, and the realistic portrait of Clifton, who is far from perfect, but still strong, caring, and hopeful.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)