Rating: 
Summary: Karen Hesse's "Witness."
Review: Karen Hesse has outdone herself in writing this somber yet captivating story of a small Vermont town being invaded in 1924 by the Ku Klux Klan. The tale unfolds in the form of verse, which in turn is fashioned out of the memories and reflections of eleven different people who witnessed this ordeal. Twelve-year-old Leanora, an African-American girl, and six-year-old Esther, a Jewish girl sent to live in the country, are the main characters of the story. They watch as the Klan is taking root in this otherwise very white and Protestant New England town. Through the story, the reader is introduced to Sara Chickering, a Protestant farmer who takes young Esther into her home as a sort of foster mother, and who subsequently is disgusted and somewhat bewildered at the rise of this organization of hate. We learn of 18 year-old Merlin Van Tornhout, who definitely believes in his ethnic superiority and is intrigued with the Klan. But how far will he go? Then there is Jonny Reeves, a clergyman intoxicated with the idea that the KKK is the savior of the Protestant faith and the white race. It may surprise you what this man of God has to say.Meanwhile Harvey Pettibone is being drawn into the flock of the organization, while his wife, Viola, has her doubts of the KKK's morality. Percelle Johnson, the towns constable, knows that the Klan is behind the threatening notes and dastardly deeds committed in town. He also knows, however, that he must walk a fine line between upholding justice and angering the Klan. Finally, Iris Weaver, a restaurant owner and rum runner, Fitzgerald Flitt, a doctor, and Reynard Alexander, the town's newspaper editor, all reflect on and voice their disapproval of the rise of the Klan. Nevertheless, they seem to fear speaking out too loudly. How long can they hold their respective tongues? Written in a brief narrative style, this historical fiction offers a glimpse into the rise in popularity the Ku Klux Klan enjoyed in the 1920s. The reader is introduced to an important aspect of American history through the thoughts and feelings of these eleven seemingly everyday people. With what appears to be a simple retelling of an intriguing story, the reader is introduced to a small town on the precipice of social chaos brought on by a foreign ideal of intolerance. In so doing, readers are able to bear witness for themselves what at least one aspect of small town life was like in post World War I America.
Rating:
Summary: Witness- a Great Book review by Emily Ansley
Review: In the small town of Vermont lives 6-year-old Esther Hirsh, who is Jewish and 12-year-old Leonora Sutter, the only African American family in the town. These children are put at risk the most when the Ku Klux Klan comes. Will the town ever realize the harm and anger it is causing? Will the prejudice in the town ever go away?
Karen Hesse is a wonderful author and uses a lot of great detail in her writing. This book makes you think and it makes you want to read more and more of it. This book is also very interesting and fun to read. People of all ages will enjoy this book.
Rating: 
Summary: One more witness
Review: The book Winess was not one of my favorite books. This book was about a girl named Leonna Sutter who lives in a small town in Vermont. The setting for this book was in 1924 when the KKK were moving into town. She is a witness to all of this. This book is easy to read but difficult to understand, because it skips from one story to another. It was confusing but don't take my advice for it. You are your own person and you choose if you want to read it or not. In this book, the only thing I really understood was when Leonna was telling about her life. But when everybody else was telling their different stories it got confusing. The best story element for this book would be the characterization. It has so much of this in this book because it talks about different people of what they were going through. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes histroy.
Rating:
Summary: Star Witness
Review: The characters of Hesse's novel inhabit a small 1924 Vermont village that seems idyllic, at least on the surface. The highlights of the villager's lives include a community dance recital, a broom sale at the general store and the occasional run-in between the local rum-runner and the sheriff. But beneath the surface, tensions are stirring; the Ku Klux Klan is on the rise and the winds of intolerance reach even to rural Vermont. Will Leonora Sutter and her father, the only African-Americans in town, be able to survive in the face of hatred? Will six-year-old Esther Hirsh be destroyed by the prejudice against her Jewish heritage, a prejudice she is too young to comprehend? Will preacher Johnny Reeves serve his God or the Klan--or are they the same? And will the people of this town stand together or be torn apart by the powerful emotions swirling about them? Using a journal-like style, Hesse provides each of her characters with a distinct and genuine voice with which to tell his or her story--to "witness". Soon, we come to feel that we know each of them-- we see into their hearts and minds, and care deeply about what becomes of them. Hesse does a remarkable job of bringing this episode of history to life and helps us to understand how individual decisions do shape history.
Rating:
Summary: Ms. Berg's ...
Review: Witness, written by Karen Hesse, is a book that will take you out of this world. This is a story that tells you about the Ku Klux Klan. No one in the town is safe, especially a twelve-year-old, African American girl named Leonora Sutter and a six-year-old Jewish girl, named Esther Hirsh. The Klan takes over Vermont and threatens to kill everyone. No one knows if the Ku Klux Klan is bad or good, so people keep joining the group. Then, by the end of the book, the people in Vermont realize that the Klan is bad and the government says no to the group when they ask to do business there. The reason for this title is because everyone in the book witnessed each other. I enjoyed reading this book very much. It tells about past historical facts and stories that I know you will enjoy. I would definitely rate this book five stars. It was fun to read and interesting to learn from.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful and Moving.
Review: This book is so kewl. It's set up as poems from 9 different people's points of view. It's all about a small town in the 1930's that is virtually being taken over my the ku klux klan and changing the way that people think. All of the sudden it seems like you must be a part of the ku klux klan to get anywhere in the city. People are getting married in white robes and putting "ku klux klan only" in the windows of their stores. Each person has a very different point of view though they are all equaly interesting. I would recomend this book to anyone that is interested in history.... and even if you aren't... give it a try!
Rating:
Summary: "Witness"
Review: The novel Witness by Karen Hesse was very good. It really gave you a good idea of how they lived back in the past in really life situations. There were 11 main characters who all told their perspective and point of view. This book took place in Vermont in 1924 when the Ku Klux Klan came in. When the Ku Klux Klan came in everyone started fighting for safety. Ester Hirsh (age 6, Jewish) and Leanora Sutter (age 12, African-American) who were the youngest were especially not safe, being victims of the Klan. Now the town is turning against each other and putting a lot of people in danger. The author's intentions were to show how people lived in the past and the things people did to those who were not white. This shows the racism, hate groups and prejudice people back in the past. I would highly recommend this book to others. I liked the format on it a lot and how they had a lot of different perspectives instead of just one, I think that was part of what made the story so good.
Rating:
Summary: Witness By Karen Hesse
Review: Witness is a marvelous book by Karen Hesse. Witness is written in free-verse poetry through the eyes of eleven different characters, who have very different feelings and ways of looking at things. In Witness, the Ku Klux Klan moves into a small town in Vermont in 1924 and made people ignorant afraid, and segregated. The main targets for the Klan are the Sutters, an African- American family, and the Hirshes, a Jewish family. The themes of the book are racism and death. An example for racism is when the girls in Leonora's dance class won't dance with her, because she's African American. There are many examples of death, but one of the most important examples was when Leopold and Loeb killed Bobby Franks to see how it felt to murder someone. I'd give this book five stars out of five stars, because this book does a great job of keeping you interested with Esther's funny way of talking, and the occasional comic relief from Harvey and Viola Pettibone. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who needs a book that is interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Witness: A Great Book
Review: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a small town where neighbors turn on each other, a town where it is not safe, not safe to be different?
In Witness the author, Karen Hesse captures the tale of a small town that nearly fell apart because of an event so strong it divided its townspeople. This horrible division caused many mixed feelings and actions to take place in the small town of Vermont, 1924.
The town was peaceful and everything worked out well, even for the two youngest children in town: Esther Hirsh, and Leonora Sutter. Everything worked out fine, until the Ku Klux Klan came to town. Every person in the town had their own feelings about these visitors, and they wanted to be heard. Karen Hesse does a great job in comparing the views of the unforgettable eleven characters. To create the many points of views from various characters Karen uses journal-like entries written in poetic forms to express and reveal each character in depth. I personally found the technique used by Karen very interesting. It helped me as a reader to learn about each character and their strengths and weaknesses. To enhance the story, famous events such as the Leopold and Loeb case are added into the book, adding strong views on the situation by each character. They later realize what is happening to their small town, and face (giving the characters) the decisions of what to do with their lives before the K.K.K harms everyone. Witness was a book I enjoyed to reading. It was "readalicous". It included many characters, a heart-warming ending, and a mystery disappearance of a character. On a scale of one to ten I would defiantly rate this book a ten right away. I couldn't put the book away for one second, fearing I would miss something about the book. I would encourage everyone to read this story. The book contains many events and characters anyone can relate to. The book is very well written with many great passages. Witness is a great story where characters finally realize what they have been doing wrong while being under the Ku Klux Klan's clutches. The characters solve their individual problems, some more drastic than others. Witness is a wonderful book, which everyone should read, to learn about a small town and its ways of solving a major dilemma.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a fast read but well worth it.
Review: In poetry, prose and five acts we are taken through the lives of 11 individuals in 1924, based on actual events. The Ku Klux Klan is on the rise in a small Vermont town. A rise, that after time and significant events, cross burning and Mr. Hirsch being shot, the town will not allow it to continue. Although each characters voice is important the story centers on two girls in the town, Esther Hirsh, the six-year-old Jewish girl and 12-year-old Leanora Sutter, an African-American girl. Despite its form, Witness is not a fast read. The topic and issues of racism, prejudice and the personal struggles of people and a town deciding what to do when a devastating group (...). The photographs of each character bring you in to their world of 1924. Also knowing each characters age and occupation enhances the story. Witness is recommend for readers (...). This book will touch students and adults alike and will spark discussions on topics such as tolerance, racism, prejudice, and American History
|
