A Thousand Never Evers

Burg and Brome take a violent place and time in American history--1960s Mississippi--and create the realistic but joyful story of Addie Ann Pickett. We follow Addie Ann's family during these dark days, when her adored brother disappears due to a misunderstanding and her beloved Uncle Bump is arrested for taking on local racists who are trying to cheat the black community. All of this occurs as the assassinated civil rights worker Medgar Evers is mourned by black America. Narrator Kenya Brome gives Addie Ann a wink in her voice. Brome also perfectly captures Addie Ann's spirited mother and her town's redneck sheriff. Author Burg begins and ends the book with a chronology of events and injustices occurring even today. This story is perfect for those of all ages. S.G.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Starred review from June 9, 2008
Set in rural Mississippi during the civil rights movement, this gripping first novel offers an up-close look at the racism and violence endured in an African-American community. By the time Addie Ann Pickett, the narrator, enters junior high, she is well aware of the racial divisions in her county. She has been warned not to stay on the white side of town after the sun has set and not to “look at white folks too close.” But her older brother and the local minister have different ideas and argue that “there comes a time when a man’s dignity’s worth more than his life.” Caught between her mother’s rule to stay away from trouble and the call to take action, Addie must make decisions, especially when the lives of two family members are at stake. References to significant historical events (Medgar Evers’s assassination, the March on Washington) add authenticity and depth, while Addie’s frank, expertly modulated voice delivers an emotional wallop. Ages 9–12.