Lay that Trumpet in Our Hands

Rating:
Summary: Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands
Review: While reading this book, I kept saying to myself and my husband, "I didn't know that or did you know that. . .". In other words, this book is based on facts of historical events involving the KKK and the FBI that occurred in Florida in 1951-1952. However, this story is far from boring; it's told from a young girl's perspective as she grows up emotionally. Not only does Ms. McCarthy tell a story of fearful circumstances but also personalizes it so that we rout for this girl, her family and the community. Every anecdote ties together perfectly. I especially didn't want to read about a "rattler race" in a dry sinkhole, yet I couldn't stop myself. So will you.

Rating:
Summary: Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands
Review: While reading this book, I kept saying to myself and my husband, "I didn't know that or did you know that. . .". In other words, this book is based on facts of historical events involving the KKK and the FBI that occurred in Florida in 1951-1952. However, this story is far from boring; it's told from a young girl's perspective as she grows up emotionally. Not only does Ms. McCarthy tell a story of fearful circumstances but also personalizes it so that we rout for this girl, her family and the community. Every anecdote ties together perfectly. I especially didn't want to read about a "rattler race" in a dry sinkhole, yet I couldn't stop myself. So will you.

Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: WOW! What a read! This is an important story told beautifully. Some of the narrative is lyrical. Other parts will chill you to the bone. It is a story that will stick with me for a long, long time. Told from the point of view of a young girl in 1951 Florida, it takes the reader into the civil rights movement with heartbreaking intimacy. Compared, on the cover, to To Kill a Mockingbird (something that's almost inevitable when the story deals with a pre-pubescent narrator talking about racism in the South), I found it a "different bird" altogether. It stands on its own as a fine piece of literature. Book discussion groups, take note! And all others simply looking for a book that will provoke thought and feeling - look no further.