With the Might of Angels
Title: With the Might of Angels
Author: Andrea Davis Pinkney
Year: 2011
A Review by Nate Feldman
Dawnie Rae Johnson is a young African American girl growing up in Hadley, Virginia in the 1950s when the Supreme Court rules that segregation in American public schools is unconstitutional on her twelfth birthday. She dreams of attending Prettyman Coburn, the local white school, which she describes as having beautiful classrooms, and detests the all black school she must attend, which she portrays as dilapidated. However, in the beginning her parents make it clear that this can never happen.
Following the United States' Supreme Court's decision that segregation was not equal in the Brown vs. Board of Education case in 1954, Dawnie is able to attend the school of her dreams (Prettyman Coburn) due to her outstanding academic achievements. Unfortunately, the white community is vehemently opposed and works hard to prevent this at all costs. At first, the school delays her from attending for the first two weeks of school. When she is finally able to come, she is met with protesters calling her a "monkey" and spitting at her. Many parents even withhold their children from school in protest of her presence.
The story is told through a diary the fictitious Dawnie Rae keeps, recalling the events as they happen on specific dates. Through this, we discover a character that yearns to follow her own path, not the one society has set for her. She wants to be a baseball player. She abhors the idea of being a prim and proper girl. "If I were going to meet President Dwight D. Eisenhower himself, I'd show up to shake his hand in dungarees and Keds," she mentions in one entry.
Dawnie Rae is an endearing protagonist as you route for her to overcome the many obstacles society has put in her way. Whether it is dealing with racism or gender roles, she challenges the norms with determination.
This book recalls a significant part of American history that cannot be forgotten by the younger generations. It's a painful reminder that it wasn't all that long ago that the white majority of this country fought at all costs to prevent blacks from integrating into our society. At a time when racial tensions still simmer, we must continue to educate ourselves about past injustices and the need to accept all people, regardless of their race, ethnic, or religious backgrounds.
Author: Andrea Davis Pinkney
Year: 2011
A Review by Nate Feldman
Dawnie Rae Johnson is a young African American girl growing up in Hadley, Virginia in the 1950s when the Supreme Court rules that segregation in American public schools is unconstitutional on her twelfth birthday. She dreams of attending Prettyman Coburn, the local white school, which she describes as having beautiful classrooms, and detests the all black school she must attend, which she portrays as dilapidated. However, in the beginning her parents make it clear that this can never happen.
Following the United States' Supreme Court's decision that segregation was not equal in the Brown vs. Board of Education case in 1954, Dawnie is able to attend the school of her dreams (Prettyman Coburn) due to her outstanding academic achievements. Unfortunately, the white community is vehemently opposed and works hard to prevent this at all costs. At first, the school delays her from attending for the first two weeks of school. When she is finally able to come, she is met with protesters calling her a "monkey" and spitting at her. Many parents even withhold their children from school in protest of her presence.
The story is told through a diary the fictitious Dawnie Rae keeps, recalling the events as they happen on specific dates. Through this, we discover a character that yearns to follow her own path, not the one society has set for her. She wants to be a baseball player. She abhors the idea of being a prim and proper girl. "If I were going to meet President Dwight D. Eisenhower himself, I'd show up to shake his hand in dungarees and Keds," she mentions in one entry.
Dawnie Rae is an endearing protagonist as you route for her to overcome the many obstacles society has put in her way. Whether it is dealing with racism or gender roles, she challenges the norms with determination.
This book recalls a significant part of American history that cannot be forgotten by the younger generations. It's a painful reminder that it wasn't all that long ago that the white majority of this country fought at all costs to prevent blacks from integrating into our society. At a time when racial tensions still simmer, we must continue to educate ourselves about past injustices and the need to accept all people, regardless of their race, ethnic, or religious backgrounds.
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