Seeing Red

September 2, 2013
In the aftermath of the civil rights movement, bigotry still permeates 1972 Stony Gap, Va., the hometown of 12-year-old Frederick “Red” Porter. Red’s father was a fair man up until the day he died, and now it’s Red’s duty to carry on his legacy. There are many wrongs Red would like to make right, like the way a neighbor, Mr. Dunlop, abuses his children. Red would also like to help an elderly African-American neighbor, Miss Georgia, whose family was cheated out of land a century ago. When Red’s mother decides they should move to Ohio, Red fears he won’t have time to correct these injustices the way his father would have wanted. Although the narrative makes heavy use of early 1970s pop culture references (especially TV shows) to build its setting, National Book Award winner Erskine (Mockingbird) offers powerful images of discrimination practiced in the South. She frankly explores the difficulty in fighting a corrupt system, but also stresses the difference one individual—even a child—can make, providing hope that justice can prevail. Ages 10–14. Agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt.

October 1, 2014

Gr 5-9-Twelve-year-old Red Porter's entire world has changed since his daddy died. Mama has put their family's auto repair shop/convenience store up for sale and is planning to move Red and his little brother, Jay, from rural Stony Gap, Virginia, to Ohio. Red is determined to find some way for the family to stay in the only home he has ever known. While searching for ideas, Red gets involved with a rough group of older boys who almost lynch Red's African American former best friend, Thomas. This book, set in 1972, deals with some weighty issues: race relations, the murder of Emmett Till, the Ku Klux Klan, physical abuse, and death. Narrator Michael Bakkensen reads Red's part with a thick southern twang and whines authentically (sometimes excruciatingly) as seven-year-old Jay. The audiobook ends with an author's note on how young people have the power to change the world by their words and actions. This would be a good choice for a civil rights unit.-Julie Paladino, East Chapel Hill High School, NC

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